An ancient 2,000-year-old receipt was discovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) along the City of David’s 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, reportedly accompanied by lines of letters and numbers suggesting 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 a receipt has reached us, is a rare and gratifying find that allows a glimpse into everyday life in the holy city of Jerusalem,” the IAA said in a statement posted to Facebook.
“The everyday life of the inhabitants of Jerusalem who resided here 2,000 years ago is expressed in this simple object.”
The Israel Antiquities Authority discovered a 2,000-year-old receipt found on Pilgrimage Road in Jerusalem. (Israel Antiquities Authority)
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Four other similar Hebrew inscriptions dating to the Early Roman period, the era also known as the time of Jesus Christ, have also been found in Jerusalem and Bet Shemesh, according to Excavation Director Nahshon Szanton and Esther Eshel, an epigraphist and a professor with Bar-Ilan University.
But the most recent discovery is the first of its kind to have been found from this historic period within boundaries of the city of Jerusalem.
According to researchers, the inscription was carved using a sharp tool on a chalkstone slab, which was traditionally used as an ossuary or burial chest in Jerusalem and Judea between 37 B.C. to 70 A.D.
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 graves outside the city,…
