Israeli archaeologists have found an ancient comb dating back some 3,700 years ago and bearing what is likely the oldest known full sentence in Canaanite alphabetical script — a custom that continued for many centuries among the ancient Hebrews. The inscription encourages people to comb their hair and beards to rid themselves of lice.
The Canaanite language is the ancestor of Hebrew and Arabic today. The language was spoken by people living in the Levant and northern Africa between about 3250 BC and 1000 BC before it merged with other languages to form modern Hebrew, Phoenician and Arabic.
The researchers discovered the ancient object in a room of a house dating back some 3,700 years ago in Tel Nachson, an excavation site located on the Golan Heights near Lake Kinneret.
The message is quite clear from this inscription: make sure your hair looks good and be free from lice by combing regularly. It’s been nearly 4000 years, but I think a similar message could still be very beneficial right now, especially since we all have so little time (especially during the holiday season).
Thanks to a combination of different factors, many researchers believe that ancient Israel’s culture was advanced for its time. For one thing, the region had prime access to trade routes, meaning it could take in foreign goods from all over. The land was also home to rich soil, allowing for large-scale agriculture of food and other materials.
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Tags: ancient comb, ancient script, Israeli archaeologists, archaeologists, comb inscription, highly readable, ancient Canaanite alphabetical script, lice in Hebrew, lice in Canaanite
