Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – A unique document was returned to Israel.

The document opens with the words: “To Ishmael send….”

Whilst the text does not refer to Hagar’s son, it is a fragment of a letter containing instructions to the recipient. Based on the script, it is proposed to date the ‘Ishmael Papyrus’ to the seventh or sixth centuries BC, joining only two other documents written on organic materials from this period, owned by the State of Israel, and located in the Collections of the National Treasuries.

Image credit: Israel Antiquities Authority

This important document of great historical and religious value was obtained thanks to a joint intelligence operation by the Israel Antiquities Authority Robbery Prevention Unit and Professor Shmuel Ahituv, recipient of the Israel Prize for Biblical Studies, together with the Ministry of Culture and Sport, and the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage.

According to Genesis 16:11: “And the angel of the Lord said unto her (Hagar), Behold, you are with child, and you will bear a son, and call his name Ishmael; because the Lord has heard your affliction.”

This biblical verse refers to the “first Ishmael”, but the name Ishmael was common in antiquity.

Based on the script, it is proposed to date the ‘Ishmael Papyrus’ to the seventh or sixth centuries BC, joining only two other documents written on organic materials from this period, owned by the State of Israel, and located in the Collections of the National Treasuries.

All three papyri come from the Judean Desert, where the dry climate enables the preservation of the papyri. Now, the role of the  Israeli experts is very importan because they have to cofirm the genuity of the document.

Image credit: Israel Antiquities Authority

Researchers from the  Weizmann Insтιтute in Rehovot, radiometrically dated a small sample, and  furnished a date similar to that provided by the paleographic examination. Thus, they could determine the dating of the document to the end of the First Temple period.

“Returning this document to Israel is part of our ongoing efforts […] to protect and preserve the cultural heritage of the State of Israel, a heritage that belongs to all its citizens,” Dr. Eitan Klein, vice-director of the Antiquities Robbery Prevention Unit, said.

As Hili Tropper, Minister of Culture and Sport said, “the Israel Antiquities Authority, together with the Ministry of Culture and Sport and the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, initiates the discovery and recovery of impressive antiquities, and continues to surprise us with their success in locating lost archaeological treasures.

The Antiquities Robbery Prevention Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority acts vigorously to uproot the phenomenon of antiquity looting, with the aim that the entire population can appreciate the national heritage and deepen our roots.”

Written by Conny Waters – AncientPages.com Staff Writer