A large stone on which eight letters are engraved, furnishing official documents dating to the days of King Antiochus III, a Syrian ruler who reigned between 223 to 183 B. C. E., has been dug up in kibbutz Hefzibah, north of Tel Aviv, the Government Department of Antiquities here announced today.
The documents consist of six letters written by King Antiochus III, and two from the Chief Priest Ptolemy. All the letters deal with administration of justice and the protection of the civilian population.
The documents, according to the Government scientists, are the first of their kind found in Israel, and yield important information about conditions in northern Israel, as well as on the administrative methods of the Hellenistic administration of the period. King Antiochus III, called “the Great,” was the father of Antiochus Epiphanes whose harsh measures against the Jews led to the Hasmonean revolt headed by the Maccabean family.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
