In partnership with the Israel Antiquities Authority and The Israel Museum, Southern Adventist University invites the public to see the ivory comb with the oldest deciphered complete alphabetic sentence in writing. The rare object, dating to 1700 BC and excavated in Israel, will be on exhibit at the Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum in Hackman Hall on the university’s campus beginning on Jan. 27.
Uncovered by Southern Adventist University archaeologists during the 2016 excavation at Tel Lachish, the artifact’s significance increased in 2022 when shallow scratches were noticed on the ivory and confirmed as wording by an epigrapher.
Featured in The New York Times and Smithsonian, as well as by CNN and BBC, the small but linguistically valuable comb was named the #1 discovery in biblical archaeology by Christianity Today. The inscribed sentence reads “May this ivory (tusk) root out the lice of the hair and the beard” in the Canaanite language, a predecessor to all modern alphabets.
“The find cannot be overestimated. The invention of the alphabet was the most important contribution to communication in the last four millennia,” says Michael G. Hasel, PhD, professor of archaeology at Southern and co-director of the Lachish excavations. “Before this time, complicated systems of writing in Egypt and Mesopotamia limited literacy. Today, most of the world constructs sentences using the alphabet found on this comb.”
On display through May 2 of this year, the free The Ivory Comb: Lice and Literacy at Lachish exhibit is the only scheduled viewing opportunity in the United States of the comb on loan from the National Treasures Department of Israel. There will also be an archaeology symposium on Jan. 27 featuring internationally recognized scholars who will share presentations relating to the comb and its significance.
For open hours and additional information, visit southern.edu/museum or call 423-236-2030.