A promissory note from New Testament times
Archaeology can throw new light on the Bible story, even when it does not directly 'prove' it to be true.
In Luke's Gospel, chapter 16, verses 1-9, Jesus tells the story of a crooked manager, who is found out and fired by his boss. He goes to each of the people who owe his master anything, asks what they owe, and cuts it down. In this way, he makes friends who will take care of him after he is fired. (Jesus is not commending the manager's dishonesty: he is encouraging us to use our money wisely with eternity in view.)
The manager in the story refers specifically to the promissory notes (Greek: 'grammata') signed by the debtors.
In 1951, a group of Bedouin tribesmen found some scroll manuscripts in a cave in the Wadi Murabba'at (also called Nahal Darga), including just such a promissory note, written in Aramaic (referred to as Mur 18). This note is dated to the second year of the Roman Emperor Nero (between 13th October 55 and 12th October 56 AD).
According to this promissory note, one Absalom from Kfar Sagana in Galilee had lent 20 Sus of silver (68 g) to Zechariah from Kasalon, near Jerusalem. Zechariah promises to repay him by a certain date, or else to pay one fifth extra. He puts in pawn an equivalent value of his property and his expected future earnings. (See p. 66-68 of 'The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Jewish origins of Christianity', by Carsten Peter Thiede.)