Extremely rare Iron Age papyrus note discovered in Israel(1/5)

A view of a papyrus fragment of an ancient Hebrew document presented by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) at its Dead Sea conservation lab in Jerusalem, Sept. 7, 2022. (Photo/Agencies)

The document dating to the First Temple-period (late seventh or early sixth century BCE), written in ancient Hebrew script and originally found in the Judean Desert caves following an intelligence operation. It is composed of four torn lines that begin with the words "To Ishmael send", the text hinting that it is a fragment of a letter containing instructions to the recipient. The document joins only two other documents from this period in the authority's Dead Sea Scrolls collection, all three papyri from the Judean Desert where the dry climates enable their preservation.

A conservator views under a magnifying glass a papyrus fragment presented by the IAA at its Dead Sea conservation lab in Jerusalem, Sept. 7, 2022. (Photo/Agencies)

A view of a papyrus fragment of an ancient Hebrew document presented by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) at its Dead Sea conservation lab in Jerusalem, Sept. 7, 2022. (Photo/Agencies)

A conservator inspects a papyrus fragment presented by the IAA at its Dead Sea conservation lab in Jerusalem, Sept. 7, 2022. (Photo/Agencies)

A conservator views under a magnifying glass a papyrus fragment presented by the IAA at its Dead Sea conservation lab in Jerusalem, Sept. 7, 2022. (Photo/Agencies)