This is a miracle.
One of the most important discoveries ever made on the history of the alphabet.
Our Expedition came to Tel Lachish to excavate the first Iron Age city.
The first city built by the kings of Judah.
And indeed we found a city wall and houses from this period.
The Canaanite language developed in the second or maybe third millennium BC.
The most important object unearthed in our excavation is completely accidental.
It's the comb which is from the Middle Bronze period.
We didn't come to excavate this period and it was just a chance find.
The comb, it was found in a pit with other items from different periods.
I decided to look under the microscope if there is any sign of a head louse.
And indeed there is.
Let me show it.
Here I found the louse on the second tooth
and this is very exciting, of course.
Because just think even if it is from the late Bronze [Age], it's already 3,000 years old.
I wanted to test DNA. So we take a sample for DNA testing
and I didn't get any results.
So it was a bit disappointing and that's why I forgot about these combs.
They were in a drawer at home until I said that enough is enough.
I'm going to write an article about the history of the combs.
As I was finishing the article I decided to have a good picture.
So I took a picture and and because I'm a perfectionist, I brought
another strong light and suddenly I saw this letter, this X, on the side.
I was sure that at least this was a letter.
There are moments in life when you feel that something important is arriving.
It is very sudden and then you feel that okay, I found something.
So I called Professor Garfinkel and I said: 'We have letters!'
I was very skeptical because you know, we never have any sentences
in Canaanite and especially Middle Bronze Canaanite.
He said: 'Ok, give it to Daniel Vainstub and let's see'.
I remember very well, this moment
when Dr. Mumcuoglu sent to me two photos.
I say immediately that's it!
There were Canaanite letters. It was a great moment for me.
The inscription is here on this side.
The sentence on the comb is:
[In Canaanite]
The meaning is:
'May this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard'.
This is the first ever complete sentence,
Canaanite sentence that has been found in ever.
For example, the letter Q in the Latin alphabet
came from the letter Kuf that means monkey.
A body of the monkey with the tail.
The inscription which was incised on the comb
is a landmark in the evolution of the alphabet.
The Canaanites invented the alphabet.
They produced about 30 signs, 30 letters. It is revolutionary.
One of the most important inventions in the history of the human culture.
When I was a little girl my mother was saying to me that I'm too curious.
But I said: 'In that case,
it is good to be curious, especially scientific curiosity, you know.
If I hadn't done this, probably
this sentence would have been unknown until today.