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Iron Age II - King David and the First Temple Period
  • Papyrus document noting a shipment of wine jars to Jerusalem was discovered in the possession of antiquities thieves in the early 2000s. Photo: Shai Halevi. Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority
    Papyrus document noting a shipment of wine jars to Jerusalem was discovered in the possession of antiquities thieves in the early 2000s. Photo: Shai Halevi. Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority
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Iron Age II - King David and the First Temple Period

The Earliest Hebrew Extra-Biblical Mention of Jerusalem

A papyrus document noting a shipment of wine jars to Jerusalem was discovered in the possession of antiquities thieves in the early 2000s. The wine was sent from a place called Na‘arta or Ma‘arta, the identity of which is a matter of debate. The document, which is believed to date to the end of the seventh century BCE, also mentions the words “the king.”

This is the earliest mention of Jerusalem in Hebrew outside of the Bible, but due to the circumstances under which it came to light, some scholars doubt its authenticity.