Israeli authorities have recovered a papyrus document which appears to be nearly 2,000 years old. The document measures six by six inches and contains 15 lines of ancient Hebrew script. It appears to be a legal instruction, transferring a widow's property to her late husband's brother. The papyrus was seized from two Palestinian men in a sting operation at a Jerusalem hotel, Israeli police said. The two could face several years in jail.
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Wednesday that the scroll was an "exceptional archeological document, of the like but a few exist", adding that similar scrolls had been sold worldwide for sums as high as US$ 5 to 10 million. According to the IAA, the document is written in a style of ancient Hebrew primarily associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls. These are scriptures and apocalyptic treatises thought to have been collected by an ascetic Jewish community which lived in the desert near the Dead Sea, and preserved by the dry climate. However, it remains unclear exactly where this document was obtained.