Ancient Papyrus News Today

Excited by the deciphering of the Herculaneum scrolls, archaeologists are eager to dig for more, but the local community isn’t having it.

"Each new document sheds further light on the literacy and the administration of the First Temple period," said Joe Uziel, Director of Israel Antiquities Authoritys Judean Desert scrolls unit.

>> reporter: the next test history. >> you look at the handwriting and you try to match up the handwriting with the handwriting from other texts you know are from that period then you look at the content and you say does this sound like the kind of thing that was written in this period. >> reporter: and lastly there is provenance the story of the fragments original in. that is becoming the trickiest part in a world where parts of ancient papyrus can be bought online and sold to collectors. is it...