Oldest inscription found in Jerusalem, dates back to the time of King David

The Times of Israel reported that an ancient inscription dating back to the time of King David, recently discovered in Jerusalem, has researchers scratching their heads. The 3,000-year-old text comes from the top of what remains of a large earthenware jug and is the earliest alphabetical written text ever uncovered in the city, according to a statement from Hebrew University, whose researchers found the artifact.

Dated to the 10th century BCE, the artifact predates by 250 years the earliest known Hebrew inscription from Jerusalem, from the period of King Hezekiah at the end of the 8th century BCE. The new inscription was found around the top of a jug, but only the first letter and last few now remain. Although the characters are legible, it is in an unknown Canaanite language.

According to Mazar, the inscription, in the Canaanite language, is the only one of its kind discovered in Jerusalem and an important addition to the city’s history. Researchers from the Hebrew University found the artifact at a dig along the southern wall of the Temple Mount enclosure.

Read The Times of Israel article, July 10, 2013
Photo credit: Eilat Mazar/Noga Cohen-Aloro