A rare, ancient papyrus dating to the First Temple Period — 2,700 years
ago — has been found to bear the oldest known mention of Jerusalem in
Hebrew. The fragile text, believed plundered from a cave in the Judean Desert
cave, was apparently acquired by the Israel Antiquities Authority during
a sting in 2012 when thieves attempted to sell it to a dealer.
Radiocarbon dating has determined it is from the 7th century BCE, making
it one of just three extant Hebrew papyri from that period, and
predating the Dead Sea Scrolls by centuries.
