In Jerusalem on Sept. 7, researchers display fragments of papyrus letters recording ancient Hebrew messages. The Israeli Antiquities Agency issued a statement on the 7th saying that the bureau has obtained a fragment of papyrus letters recording ancient Hebrew information from a US citizen. This precious artifact is about 2,600 years old. Xinhua News Agency/Gini Photo Agency
The shard of the papyrus letter was previously held by a U.S. Montana resident who reported that a museum curator and an antique dealer gave it to his mother during her visit to Jerusalem in 1965, according to the statement. Israel's multi-sectoral collaboration traced the whereabouts of the artifacts and persuaded the holders to hand them over to the Israel Antiquities Agency.
The statement said the fragment contained four incomplete lines of ancient Hebrew text, beginning with "To Ezemael...", implying that it was a fragment of a letter.
A small sample of fragments of papyrus letters was dated by the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, which it found dates back to the late 7th to early 6th centuries BC.
The statement said that before receiving the papyrus artifact, the Israel Antiquities Agency had only two similar collections. They are all found in desert areas, where the dry climate makes them durable.
The use of papyrus dates back to ancient Egypt in 3000 BC and later spread to the Mediterranean coastal regions, where it was gradually replaced by more environmentally adaptable parchment and kraft paper because its preservation relied too much on dry climates. (Source: Xinhua News Agency)
In Jerusalem on Sept. 7, researchers display fragments of papyrus letters recording ancient Hebrew messages. The Israeli Antiquities Agency issued a statement on the 7th saying that the bureau has obtained a fragment of papyrus letters recording ancient Hebrew information from a US citizen. This precious artifact is about 2,600 years old. Xinhua
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