Oldest sentence in history discovered – warning of beard lice almost 4,000 years ago

The oldest sentence written within the earliest identified alphabet has been found – carved into an ivory comb which warned about head lice.

The comb – estimated to be 3,700 years previous – was unearthed in an archaeological dig in Israel, in response to a brand new examine printed Wednesday.

“Could this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard,” reads the inscription written in Canaanite script, specialists stated within the Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology.

Microscopic proof of lice had been even present in what stays of the comb’s bristles.

The comb was excavated in 2016 in Tel Lachish website, about 25 miles outdoors of Jerusalem — however a researcher at Israel’s Hebrew College solely found the etching late final 12 months, in response to the report.

“Could this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard,” an inscription on the comb says.

AP

Earlier discoveries of Canaanite writing had been of some letters or a phrase – however that is the primary time researchers have discovered an entire sentence.

“It's a very human textual content,” stated Yosef Garfinkel of Hebrew College, the lead researcher of the examine.

“It exhibits us that individuals didn’t actually change, and lice didn’t actually change,” Garfinkel instructed the Related Press.

The discover additionally confirmed that “even in essentially the most historic section there have been full sentences” utilizing the Canaanite alphabet, he stated.

An aerial picture exhibits the Tel Lachish archeological website the place the traditional head-lice comb was uncovered.

AFP through Getty Photos

Carbon relationship couldn’t confirm the age of the traditional comb which scientists assume was imported, as elephant with ivory tusks weren't native to the area.

The small comb – measuring about 1.5 inches large – had most of its tooth worn down over the millennia however six tooth on one aspect had been probably used to untangle hair and 14 finer tooth used for focusing on stay and their eggs, in response to the examine.

Writing techniques predated Canaanite in Mesopotamia and Egypt however relied on symbols slightly than an alphabet, an skilled on Semitic languages instructed the Guardian.

Canaanite was the premise for historic Greek and Latin – and in flip many trendy European languages, stated Christopher Rollston of George Washington College.

“All through human historical past lice have been a perennial downside,” he instructed the Guardian. “And this inscription properly reveals that even the wealthy and well-known in historic instances weren't exempt from such issues.”

With Put up wires