While receipts today are typically made of paper, roughly two millennia ago, vital financial transactions could have been engraved on stone.
Ancient Stone Receipt
According to Live Science, archaeologists were able to spot an embedded proof of purchase at an archaeological site situated in the City of David in Jerusalem. It was specifically spotted in a pile of debris while a salvage excavation by the Pilgrimage Road was conducted in 2016.
This pathway is thought to have been frequently passed through during such historical periods. The road could have even been a commercial hub during the first millennium, back when Jerusalem and surrounding areas were under the Roman Empire. The road went further by one-third of a mile and linked the city gate of Jerusalem to the Temple Mount and Second Temple's gates. The Romans later destroyed it in 70 A.D.
The stone, which could be a burial chest or ossuary lid fragment, had seven lines of text that are partially preserved. It notes specific names and money amounts.
The New York Post reports that one line covers the name "Shimon's" end, followed further by the "mem" Hebrew lettering (which is an abbreviated form for the term "money"). Other lines also contain symbols that correspond to numbers, per the researchers. In some cases, specific economic values preceded the numbers.
The study was detailed further in the 'Atiqot journal. According to the study. Such numbers and letters likely correspond to a financial transaction of some sort. It could possibly be a worker's wage or a debtor's payment.
As per Artnet, the researchers explain that the simple stone object captures the everyday life of Jerusalem's inhabitants 2,000 years ago.
Stone Records
While the transaction's nature and Shimon's identity are still mysteries, the findings serve as evidence that ancient individuals were not unfamiliar with the concept and purpose of receipts. The authors note that, at first glance, the numbers and names may not appear exciting. However, it is still interesting to note that receipts may have been prehistorically used for commercial transactions as well and that such a receipt has been able to reach archaeologists today.
Though there have been four other Hebrew writings carved on stone that were discovered in the region, this is the first of its kind to be spotted in Jerusalem. The stone and scripts' type and similarity with other rocks aided the archaeologists in dating them. They discovered that it was from between B.C. 100 and 100 A.D.
The authors further note that the one behind the carving could have used a sharp tool for carving into a slab of chalkstone.
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