Editing Tel Lachish (section)

==Fake Darius inscription==
In 2022, [[Eylon Levy]], an adviser to the Israeli president [[Isaac Herzog]], found an inscribed [[potsherd]] while visiting Tel Lachish. The sherd bore an [[Aramaic]] inscription that read "Year 24 of Darius," which if genuine would have indicated a date of 498 BCE. The find appeared significant, because it would have been the first time that an inscription bearing the name of [[Darius the Great]] had been found in the territory of [[Yehud Medinata]], then a province of the [[Achaemenid Empire]] ruled by Darius.<ref name="ToA">{{Cite web |last=Lidman |first=Melanie |title=Hiker discovers 2,500-year-old ancient receipt from reign of Purim king's father |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/hiker-discovers-2500-year-old-ancient-receipt-from-reign-of-purim-kings-father/ |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=Times of Israel}}</ref> Levy reported it to [[Saar Ganor]] of the [[Israel Antiquities Authority]]—the director of excavations at Tel Lachish—who concluded after laboratory testing that the sherd was authentic, probably a receipt for goods received or shipped.<ref name= ToA/><ref name=JC>{{Cite web |last=Ben-David |first=Daniel |title=Major Israeli archeology discovery found to be fake |url=https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/major-israeli-archeology-discovery-found-to-be-fake-6sizbRufvsJNoRkT6lYt8M |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=www.thejc.com}}</ref> This led to widespread coverage of the find in the international press.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Derome |first=Emma |date=2023-03-06 |title=Une "ancienne" inscription perse découverte en Israël date en fait... de l'été dernier |url=https://www.caminteresse.fr/histoire/une-ancienne-inscription-perse-date-en-fait-de-lete-dernier-sexcusent-les-archeologues-11187787/ |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=Ça m'intéresse |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=i24NEWS |title=2,500-year-old potsherd with inscription bearing name of Persian King Darius found in Israel |url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/archeology/1677661009-first-inscription-bearing-persian-king-darius-name-found-in-israel |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=I24news |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=J. I. |date=2023-03-01 |title=Daily Kickoff: Taylor Force Act, round two + Vermont's Welch on Israel visit |url=https://jewishinsider.com/2023/03/daily-kickoff-taylor-force-act-round-two-vermonts-welch-on-israel-visit/ |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=Jewish Insider |language=en-US}}</ref>

Subsequently the Israel Antiquities Authority issued a statement saying that the sherd was not authentic and had been created by an expert demonstrating inscription techniques to her students. She had come forward after the publicity surrounding the find, and explained she had used an original scrap of worthless pottery from the site and engraved the writing on it. She then discarded it at the tourist section.{{clarify |What is "the tourist section"? NB: All of the tell is accessible to visitors. |date=April 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Israel artifact bearing name of King Darius the Great revealed as fake |url=https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-733292 |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=The Jerusalem Post |date=3 March 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref>