The earliest known Hebrew text written in a Proto-Canaanite
script has been discovered by Hebrew University archaeologists
in an ancient city 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) comprises five lines of text divided by black lines and
measures 15 x 15 cm. and was found at excavations of a 10th
century B.C.E. fortress - the oldest known Judaic city. The
ostracon was found lying on the floor inside a building near the
city gate of the site, known as the Elah Fortress at Khirbet
Qeiyafa. Excavations are being led by Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, the
Yigal Yadin Professor of Archaeology at the Institute of
Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his
partner Saar Ganur, in partnership with Foundation Stone, a non-
profit educational organization which