By Tim Binnall
What is believed to be the oldest written sentence in humanity's first alphabet has been found inscribed on an ancient comb unearthed in Israel and the message relates to a problem that still persists to this day. Although the remarkable object was reportedly discovered a few years ago at a site that was once a thriving Canaanite city state, it was only late last year when a researcher noticed the peculiar writing contained on the piece. A subsequent examination determined that the message was penned in the Canaanite script, which is humanity's earliest known alphabet.
Researchers say that the message, found on both sides of the comb, reads "may this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard." While the note may seem a bit mundane, it is historic in nature as it is the oldest complete written sentence in the Canaanite language ever found. “The inscription is very human,” archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel observed, noting that "nowadays we have all these sprays and modern medicines and poisons. In the past they didn't have those." Further analysis of the object, which is thought to be from around the year 1700 BC, determined that it once featured two distinct sections of teeth which were for either general combing or extracting the irritating insects and their eggs.
By virtue of it being crafted out of ivory, archaeologists surmise that the owner of the comb was likely someone of high stature in the community as a piece made from such material would have been particularly expensive. To that end, linguistics professor Christopher Rollston mused that "the fact that this inscription is about ordinary life is especially fascinating." He went on to marvel that the message "reveals that even the rich and famous in ancient times were not exempt" from everyday difficulties such as dealing with a lice infestation, which is a problem that continues to be plague people, especially parents of young children, in our modern age.