The 11 cm by 2.5 cm (4.3 by one inch) piece of papyrus, dated
by the Israel Antiquities Authority to the 7th century B.C., was
presented at a news conference in Jerusalem shortly after
Paris-based UNESCO adopted a resolution that Israel said denied
Judaism's link to the ancient city.
Two lines of ancient Hebrew script on the fragile and faded
artifact suggest it was part of a document detailing the payment
of taxes or transfer of goods to storehouses in Jerusalem.
"From the king's maidservant, from Na'arat, jars of wine, to
Jerusalem," it reads.
The Antiquities Authority said its investigators had recovered
the document, described as "the earliest extra-biblical source
to mention Jerusalem in Hebrew writing", after it was plundered
from a cave by antiquities robbers.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Oct/28/images/ads/current/maskeauction_sda_022614.png)
For Israel's government, the papyrus is a rebuttal to UNESCO,
the UN scientific and cultural organization, which is regarded
by many Israelis as hostile. Arab members of UNESCO and their
supporters frequently condemn Israel.
"Hey UNESCO, an ancient papyrus dating to the 1st Temple 2700
yrs ago has been found. It bears the oldest known mention of
Jerusalem in Hebrew," Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wrote on Twitter.
Emmanuel Nahshon, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry,
called Wednesday's vote in Paris by UNESCO's World Heritage
Committee "a piece of rubbish".
The resolution, according to a text provided by Palestinian
officials, refers to a Jerusalem compound - revered by Jews as
Temple Mount and by Muslims as Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary)
- only as a "Muslim holy site of worship".
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![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Oct/28/images/ads/current/castlemanor_lda_HALLOWEEN_2016.png) Two weeks ago, Israel lashed out at UNESCO for renewing a
similar resolution that condemned it for restrictions on Muslim
access to the site, in a part of Jerusalem captured by Israeli
forces in a 1967 war.
Israel considers all of Jerusalem as its capital, a position that
is not recognized internationally. Palestinians want East Jerusalem
as the capital of an independent state they seek in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip.
"The discovery of the papyrus on which the name of our capital
Jerusalem is written is further tangible evidence that Jerusalem was
and will remain the eternal capital of the Jewish people," said
Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev, in comments included in an
Antiquties Authority announcement of the find.
Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation
Organization, accused Israel of waging an campaign of
"archaeological claims and distortion of facts" to try to cement its
claim to the holy city.
(Editing by Andrew Roche)
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