Israel acquires papyrus with Hebrew inscription from Montana

By ILAN BEN ZION
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israel Antiquities Authority says it’s acquired a previously unknown ancient papyrus bearing a Hebrew inscription dated to around 2,700 years ago that had long been in the possession of a Montana resident. Archaeologists said on Wednesday that the scrap of papyrus scarcely larger than a postage stamp with four lines of angular script is one of just a few from the region in the Late Iron Age. The antiquities authority said it authenticated its age using radiocarbon dating, which corresponded with the age of the text’s writing style. It’s unclear how the papyrus, which bears the Biblical name Ishmael and was likely looted sometime last century from a cave in the Judean Desert, got to Montana.