Radiocarbon dating as a tool for identifying forged historical documents in Palestine

An Iron Age leather manuscript as a case study

Bibliographic Data

ID9243716
AuthorsLoay Abu Alsaud (0000-0002-7617-968X, An-Najah National University), Hasan Jamal (0000-0003-2656-881X, Palestine Tourism and Antiquities Police Department)
Year2025
Volume68
Issue2
Pages1-6
Publication date2025-12-23
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRadiocarbon (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-8222 • E-ISSN: 1945-5755
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/rdc.2025.10176
OpenAlexW7116862432
LanguageEN
References cited6

Antiquities in the Middle East region face various threats, including illicit trade, theft, and forgery. This research examines a leather manuscript obtained by the Palestinian Tourist Police following the arrest of an antiquities smuggler. The manuscript contains Phoenician inscriptions along with symbols such as the Menorah, Shofar, and a plant branch. Radiocarbon dating using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) techniques determined the manuscript’s date to be post-1950 CE. Therefore, the results indicate that the manuscript is a modern forgery, likely created for commercial purposes. Additionally, the text contains several grammatical errors, further supporting the conclusion that it is not an authentic historical artifact

Accelerator mass spectrometry · Archaeological science · Phoenician · Radiocarbon dating · Tourism · Archaeological Research and Protection · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis

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Open DOIOpen Access