Wadi Daliyeh (Samaria) Papyri
Legal documents of Samaria's elite naming a later Sanballat, found with the bones of refugees from Alexander
Found 1962 — Ta'amireh Bedouin; purchased and then excavated by Frank Moore Cross and Paul Lapp (1963–64)
Where Wadi ed-Daliyeh, north of Jericho (West Bank (Palestinian Territories))
Dates from c. 375–335 BCE · Late Persian · Two generations after Nehemiah; the Samaritan governors
Now at Rockefeller Archaeological Museum, Jerusalem (Israel Antiquities Authority)
Names a biblical person Sanballat (bulla names a later Sanballat (grandson?), not necessarily Nehemiah's)
How Wadi Daliyeh (Samaria) Papyri was found
Bedouin found papyri, seals and skeletons in the Mughâret Abu Shinjeh cave in the Jordan Valley cliffs. Excavation showed some 200 people who fled Samaria in 332 BCE were smothered there, probably by Macedonian troops.
What it is
About two dozen very fragmentary Aramaic papyri (slave sales, loans, property deeds) dated by Persian kings, with more than 100 clay bullae, some showing Greek-style images. One bulla is inscribed '[Yesha]yahu son of [San]ballat, governor of Samaria'.
Why it matters for the Bible
The papyri prove that the Sanballat family kept the governorship of Samaria for generations, which supports the picture in Nehemiah and helps explain Josephus's mention of a later Sanballat under Darius III. The personal names (many with YHVH elements) show that Samaria's leaders worshiped YHVH, giving background to the Samaritan–Judean split and the Gerizim temple. The fine seals also show how Greek art reached the region before Alexander.
The Hebrew word: peh-CHAH
פֶּחָה
פֶּחָה is pronounced peh-CHAH and means governor of a Persian province (the title on the Sanballat bulla) (Strong's H6346).
People this discovery connects to
- Sanballat — סַנְבַלַּט (sahn-vah-LAHT) — Sin gave life (Akkadian)
Places
- Samaria — שֹׁמְרוֹן (shom-RONE) — watch-mountain
Events
Samaritan governorship of the Sanballat dynasty · Alexander's conquest of Samaria, 332 BCE
Wadi Daliyeh (Samaria) Papyri in Scripture
Nehemiah 2:10 First mention of Sanballat in Scripture.
Nehemiah 4:1-2 Sanballat rages at the wall-building with 'the army of Samaria'; the papyri show his family ruling Samaria for a century after.
Nehemiah 13:28 A grandson of the high priest marries Sanballat's daughter; the papyri show the Samarian elite that Judah's priests were intermarrying with.
Questions people ask
What is Wadi Daliyeh (Samaria) Papyri?
About two dozen very fragmentary Aramaic papyri (slave sales, loans, property deeds) dated by Persian kings, with more than 100 clay bullae, some showing Greek-style images. One bulla is inscribed '[Yesha]yahu son of [San]ballat, governor of Samaria'.
When was Wadi Daliyeh (Samaria) Papyri discovered?
It was found in 1962 by Ta'amireh Bedouin; purchased and then excavated by Frank Moore Cross and Paul Lapp (1963–64), at Wadi ed-Daliyeh, north of Jericho.
Where is Wadi Daliyeh (Samaria) Papyri today?
Rockefeller Archaeological Museum, Jerusalem (Israel Antiquities Authority).
Which Bible verses does Wadi Daliyeh (Samaria) Papyri relate to?
Nehemiah 2:10, Nehemiah 4:1-2, Nehemiah 13:28.
Related discoveries
- חַג הַמַּצּוֹתElephantine PapyriAramaic letters of a Jewish garrison in Egypt that name Sanballat, Johanan the priest and a temple of YHW
- הַמָּקוֹםMount Gerizim Samaritan TempleThe sacred precinct of the Samaritans, rival to Jerusalem's Temple, destroyed by John Hyrcanus
- בְּאֵרJacob's Well at SycharThe deep well near Shechem where Yeshua spoke with the Samaritan woman
- חֹתָםTel Hadid Mother-of-Pearl SealA moon-god seal from the Assyrian resettlement of Samaria's hills (published 2026)
- שֵׁןSamaria IvoriesCarved furniture inlays from the 'ivory house' of Ahab and his successors
- שֹׁמְרוֹןTell al-Rimah Stele'Jehoash the Samarian' pays tribute to Adad-nirari III
Sources
- Wikipedia: Wadi Daliyeh
- Gropp, Wadi Daliyeh II: The Samaria Papyri (DJD 28, 2001)