(Communicated by the Ministry of Tourism)
The earliest known Hebrew text written in a Proto-Canaanite script has been discovered by Hebrew University archaeologists at excavations of a 10th century BCE fortress in the area where David slew Goliath - the earliest Judean city found to date. The 3,000 year old finding is thought to be the most significant archaeological discovery in Israel since the Dead Sea Scrolls - predating them by 1,000 years.
The ostracon (pottery shard inscribed with writing in ink), which measures 15 x 15 cm, comprises five lines of text divided by black lines and was found on the floor inside a building near the city gate of the site, known as the Elah Fortress at Khirbet Qeiyafa. While the inscription has yet to be deciphered, initial interpretation indicates the text was part of a letter and contains the roots of the words "judge", "slave" and "king", suggesting it may be a legal text with insights into Hebrew law, society and beliefs.
The Khirbet Qeiyafa ostracon (Photo: Gabi Laron)
Carbon-14 dating of organic material (olive pips) found with the ostracon, administered by Oxford University, along with pottery analysis dates this inscription to the time of King David ca. 3,000 years ago.
The Elah Fortress, dating to the 10th century BCE, is the earliest known fortified city of the biblical period in Israel. Excavations, led by Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, the Yigal Yadin Professor of Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in partnership with Foundation Stone, a non-profit educational organization which works to provide a contemporary voice to ancient stories, began on the site in June 2008.
The fortress is thought to have been a major strategic checkpoint guarding the main road from Philistia and the Coastal Plain to Jerusalem, a day's walk away. Nearly 600 square meters of the Elah Fortress (just 4% of the site) have so far been unearthed. Excavations are expected to continue over the next decade.
The site of Khirbet Qeiyafa is situated among four biblical cities in Judea's inheritance chronicled in the Book of Joshua 35:15 - Azeka, Socho, Yarmut and Adulam. The biblical narrative located the battle between David and Goliath between Socho and Azeka. According to legend, David selected five stones from the nearby Elah Creek with which to slay Goliath. According to Prof. Garfinkel, this is the only site in Israel where one can investigate the historical King David. "The chronology and geography of Khirbet Qeiyafa create a unique meeting point between the mythology, history, historiography and archaeology of Kind David."