Israel says inscription in Persian pottery shard inauthentic

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has acknowledged that an inscription in clay found in the country’s south bearing the name of Darius the Great, ruler of the ancient Persian Empire, was not authentic. The shard of pottery in question was discovered last December and caused a sensation as the first mention of sixth century B.C. empire builder to appear in Israel. After the news of the discovery broke earlier this week, an expert in ancient Aramaic inscriptions approached the Israel Antiquities Authority to explain that she herself had actually etched those words onto the ancient fragment. The ministry issued the statement on Friday, apologizing and saying it would conduct a review of practices at archaeological sites.