Find the message behind the 3,000-year-old ceramic piece

Archaeologists have discovered a secret message in a piece of pottery dating from biblical times.

They use the latest multi-spectral imaging technology to display hastily written words on them, which are not visible to the naked eye.

This broken piece of ceramics is technically known as 'ostracon' (the term for scalloped slips - on which the name of the person he proposed to be discovered is listed). It has been on display in an Israeli museum for more than 50 years but no one has discovered the secret of the documents hidden behind it - and now everything has been revealed.

Surprisingly, the line on the piece of ceramic begins with a request for alcohol.

Experts from Tel Aviv University in Israel say the text on the back is a continuation of the text on the front. These lines are readable by everyone and they include information on various military-related issues.

The original pottery was collected at Tel Arad - the site of an ancient fortress near Israel's city of Arad.

One of the researchers, Arie Shaus, said: 'While the front part of the ceramic piece has been thoroughly studied, its back is empty, strange'.

But after noticing some unusual signs behind ostracon, the researchers decided to take a closer look."Amazingly, three new lines of text were revealed , " Shaus said.

Ancient texts on ceramic pieces.(Photo: Tel Aviv University).

Multi-spectral imaging techniques used by researchers here can help us see invisible wavelengths with the human eye. This is like getting infrared rays from a remote control to your home television.

Researchers have taken many pictures of the ceramic piece using a modified Canon SLR 450D digital camera. A variety of filters including different parts of the light spectrum are also used in this case. The pictures are then processed in an editing application to produce the text.

In total, 50 new characters and 17 new words on ceramic pieces were revealed using this method. The notice begins with the wine requirement, before assuring support if the recipient has any of their own requirements.

Finally, there is a requirement to provide an unnamed commodity to an unnamed person and a note about a particular wine made by a person called Ge'alyahu .

About 20-30 soldiers were stationed at about 600 BC outpost, the time when the piece of pottery was born. It seems that receiving a stable supply of alcoholic substances has been rated highly on their priority list.

After 'unearthing' the mysterious messages on the ceramic piece, scientists are extremely interested in the multi-spectral imaging method. They can be used in the same way to discover other ancient pottery. Thus, archaeologists will not miss a mysterious message or letter anymore.

The team is also planning to test their new technique on other artifacts, to see if any of the ancient information is hidden from their sight. These precious messages can teach us more about ancient civilization.

"Every single line, new words and even a small sign are precious additions to our understanding of the first temple phase ," Anat Mendel-Geberovich - one of the team members. rescue said.

This entire study has been published in PLOS One.