Khirbet Qeiyafa Ostracon

Earliest known Hebrew inscription, from a fortified Judahite city on the Elah Valley border.

Date

c. 1020–980 BCE

Culture

Judahite

Material

Pottery

Dimensions

~15 cm

Found at

Khirbet Qeiyafa, Israel

Held by

Israel Museum, Jerusalem

Discovered by

Yosef Garfinkel (2008)

ostraconhebrewdavidjudahite

Description

A five-line ink inscription on a trapezoidal potsherd, from an early 10th-century BCE fortress overlooking the Elah Valley where David faced Goliath. It contains recognizably Hebrew ethical vocabulary about widows, orphans, and just judgment.

Biblical significance

The ostracon shows that Hebrew literacy existed in Judah in the time of David, and the site itself is a well-defended border fortress consistent with a strong early Judahite kingdom.

From the same era

Related artifacts

United Monarchy · 8th century BCE (disputed)

Ivory Pomegranate (contested)

Thumb-sized ivory pomegranate once thought to come from Solomon's Temple.