A 2,000-year-old ancient receipt was discovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) along the City of David pilgrimage road in Jerusalem, according to an announcement Wednesday.
A small fragment of a stone tablet was found with the name “Shimon” inscribed in Hebrew, accompanied by rows of letters and numbers suggesting that a financial record was taken and indicating that money was involved in a transaction.
“At first glance the names and numbers may not seem exciting, but to think that, just like today, receipts were also used in the past for commercial purposes, and that such receipt has come down to us, is a rare and rewarding discovery that allows us to give a glimpse into daily life in the holy city of Jerusalem,” the IAA said in a statement posted on Facebook.
“The daily life of the inhabitants of Jerusalem who resided here 2,000 years ago is expressed in this simple object.”
The Israel Antiquities Authority has uncovered a 2,000-year-old receipt found on Pilgrimage Road in Jerusalem. (Israel Antiquities Authority)
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According to the director of the excavations Nahshon Szanton and Esther Eshel, epigraphist and professor at Bar -Ilan University.
But the most recent discovery is the first of its kind to be found in this historical period within the city limits of Jerusalem.
According to the researchers, the inscription was carved using a sharp tool on a limestone slab, which was traditionally used as an ossuary or burial chest in Jerusalem and Judea between 37 BC and AD 70.
A 2,000-year-old receipt was found on Pilgrimage Road in Jerusalem. (Israel Antiquities Authority)
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“Ossuaries are generally found in tombs outside the city, but their presence has also been documented within the city, perhaps as a commodity sold in a local artisan’s workshop or shop,” the statement noted.
The historical receipt was found in the lower city along the Pilgrimage Route, about a third of a mile long and linking the city gate from the south of the City of David to the Temple Mount.
This road “essentially served as Jerusalem’s main artery at the time,” the IAA said.
Pilgrimage Road linking the City of David and the gates of the Temple Mount. (Shalom Kveller and City of David Archives)
“The combination of the architectural and tangible space of the huge paved stones of the square preserved at the site and the discovery of small finds in this area, such as the measuring table and the new inscription, allow us to piece together parts of the incredibly unique archaeological puzzle in one bustling centers that existed in ancient Jerusalem,” Szanton and Eshel said in a joint statement published in Atiqot magazine.
“Every piece of information, and certainly an ancient inscription, adds a new and fascinating dimension to the history of the city.”
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“The pilgrimage route, which is continually being discovered in Jerusalem’s City of David National Park, is a flagship project of the Israel Antiquities Authority,” Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said in a press release. antiquity.
“It is no coincidence that the many discoveries that are being revealed in the excavations shed light on the centrality of this road even during the Second Temple period. With each discovery, our understanding of the area deepens, revealing the pivotal role of this road in the daily life of the inhabitants of Jerusalem 2000 years ago”.
