Roman Scroll Discovery Reveals Brazen 1,890-Year-Old Crime

A remarkable ancient papyrus has shed new light on Roman legal proceedings in the Near East.

Scholars from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the University of Vienna and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem recently published their findings in the journal Tyche, revealing an unprecedented look into financial crimes and governance during the Roman Empire.

This papyrus is the longest Greek document ever found in the Judean Desert, containing over 133 lines of text.

It had initially been misclassified as a document produced by the Nabateans—an ancient people who inhabited northern Arabia and the southern Levant—and flew under the radar for decades.

But in 2014, it was rediscovered by researcher Hannah Cotton Paltiel with the Hebrew University in the collections of the Israel Antiquities Authority. She recognized it as a Greek text and initiated an in-depth study into the document.

The papyrus records a gripping legal case involving tax fraud and forgery in the Roman provinces of Iudaea (or Judaea) and Arabia, roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel and Jordan. The case revolves around two individuals, Gadalias and Saulos, accused of fraudulent slave transactions and evading Roman taxes.

Gadalias, the son of a notary and possibly a Roman citizen, had a criminal history involving violence, extortion, counterfeiting and rebellion, according to the document. Meanwhile, the text suggests that Saulos, his accomplice, engaged in the fictitious sale and manumission of slaves while forging documents to cover their tracks.

The document appears to be prosecutors’ notes prepared for a trial before Roman officials on the eve of the Bar Kokhba revolt—a major Jewish uprising against Roman rule that took place between A.D. 132–136.

It includes a rapidly drafted transcript of the judicial hearing, offering a rare, direct glimpse into Roman legal strategy. The language is vibrant and dynamic, with prosecutors discussing the strength of their evidence and planning their arguments against potential objections.

“This papyrus is extraordinary because it provides direct insight into trial preparations in this part of the Roman Empire,” study author Anna Dolganov of the Austrian Academy of Sciences said in a statement.

Another study author, Avner Ecker of the Hebrew University, said in the statement: “This is the best-documented Roman court case from Iudaea apart from the trial of Jesus.”

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Reference

Dolganov, A., Mitthof, F., Cotton, H. M., & Ecker, A. (2023). Forgery and Fiscal Fraud in Iudaea and Arabia on the Eve of the Bar Kokhba Revolt: Memorandum and Minutes of a Trial before a Roman Official. https://doi.org/10.25365/tyche-2023-38-5