Oldest Hebrew shard found

[Mediocrates]

http://www.reuters.com/article/scien...rpc=22&sp=true

By Ari Rabinovitch
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Archaeologists in Israel said on Thursday they had unearthed the oldest Hebrew text ever found, while excavating a fortress city overlooking a valley where the Bible says David slew Goliath.

The dig's uncovering of the past near the ancient battlefield in the Valley of Elah, now home to wineries and a satellite station, could have implications for the emotional debate over the future of Jerusalem, some 20 km (12 miles) away.

Archaeologists from the Hebrew University said they found five lines of text written in black ink on a shard of pottery dug up at a five-acre (two-hectare) site called Elah Fortress, or Khirbet Qeiyafa.

Experts have not yet been able to decipher the text fully, but carbon dating of artifacts found at the site indicates the Hebrew inscription was written about 3,000 years ago, predating the Dead Sea Scrolls by 1,000 years, the archaeologists said.

Several words, including "judge," "slave" and "king," could be identified and the experts said they hoped the text would shed light on how alphabetic scripts developed.

In a finding that could have symbolic value for Israel, the archaeologists said other items discovered at the fortress dig indicated there was most likely a strong king and central government in Jerusalem during the period scholars believe that David ruled the holy city and ancient Israel.

Modern-day Israel often cites a biblical connection through David to Jerusalem in supporting its claim, which has not won recognition internationally, to all of the city as its "eternal and indivisible capital."

Palestinians, saying biblical claims have been superseded by the long-standing Arab population in Jerusalem, want the eastern part of the city, captured by Israel in a 1967 war, to be the capital of the state they hope to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"The chronology and geography of Khirbet Qeiyafa create a unique meeting point between the mythology, history, historiography and archaeology of King David," said Yosef Garfinkel, the lead archaeologist at the fortress site.

(Editing by Giles Elgood)

[Achihud]

About David and Goliath; in Sam 17:42 David is being described as 'but a youth, though ruddy and good looking'.
He looked nothing like the warrior Goliath was expecting and cursed him for it so what is meant with the word "ruddy"?

[Rob]

Very interesting. It is amazing that from a certain period onward again and again archeology proves the stories of the Torah and the Bible. By the far the most important, read and studied book for humankind!

During my study in Beersheva I took some extra Biblical archeology classes and always love(d) to imagine how those people lived and what made them tick.

[Achihud]

Is it believed that David had reddish hair or was he red-cheeked?

[Kenneth]

Gingers are always punching above their weight, so yeah I'd say he was.

[Djinn]

Please don't misinterpret this as a challenge or accusation; it's just an honest question...

To date, has any archaeological evidence been uncovered to support the existence of Jewish slaves in Egypt?

[Achihud]

Thx Djinn, the word for ruddy is 'admonie' instead of adom/red and is only found in the way David is being described (except Gen 25:25).
Since adam/human and adom/red by nature are related to each other and one might say that adam's/human beings are the most noble among mammals, I was thinking of a possible emphasis on David, something that is seen like an aura.

[Justcurious]

I remember having read about some old excavations where Finnish archaelogists took part. Could they have taken part in this excavation, too?

[bararallu]

I remember having read about some old excavations where Finnish archaelogists took part. Could they have taken part in this excavation, too?

Not too much permafrost in Israel

[Justcurious]

Not too much permafrost in Israel

Finnish UN peace keepers have been astounded by the snow hills of Mt Hebron. The climate of Finland is not that bad (http://www.fmi.fi/news/index.html?Id=1048502084.html).

[Jayhawker Soule]

Do we know why it is claimed as Hebrew as opposed to Semitic text?

[bararallu]

Do we know why it is claimed as Hebrew as opposed to Semitic text?

Do you know the difference?

[Jayhawker Soule]

Do you know the difference?

No, nor if there was one back then.

It was an honest question, and one that seems to bother you. May I ask why?

[bararallu]

No, nor if there was one back then.

It was an honest question, and one that seems to bother you. May I ask why?

Because it wasn't an honest question. I can smell honest questions a mile away. Dishonest ones too.

[Jayhawker Soule]

Because it wasn't an honest question. I can smell honest questions a mile away. Dishonest ones too.

Shabbat shalom ...