page_title: Ancient Hebrew writings
section_title: Epigraphy
hierarchical_section_title: Ancient Hebrew writings / Epigraphy
caption_attribution_description: Gezer calendar clos
context_page_description: The earliest known precursor to Hebrew is an inscription in Ancient Hebrew is the Khirbet Qeiyafa Inscription, if it can indeed be considered Hebrew at that early a stage. By far the most varied, extensive and historically significant body of literature written in the old Classical Hebrew is the canon of the Hebrew Bible, but certain other works have survived as well. It was not unusual for ancient narratives, poetry and rules to have been transmitted orally for several generations before being committed to writing. Before the Aramaic-derived modern Hebrew alphabet was adopted circa the 5th century BCE, the Phoenician-derived Paleo-Hebrew script was used instead for writing, and a derivative of the script still survives to this day in the form of the Samaritan script.
context_section_description: Besides the 9th century BCE Ammonite Amman Citadel Inscription and Moabite Mesha Stele and El-Kerak Stela, there are Israelite Hebrew inscriptions written in Paleo- and Biblical Hebrew:
  Khirbet Qeiyafa pottery sherd (11th–10th centuries BCE)
  Zayit Stone, an abecedary (mid-10th century BCE)
  Gezer calendar  (c. 925 BCE )
  Samaria Ostraca  (c. 850–750 BCE)
  Marzeah Papyrus (7th century BCE) (considered by some to be a forgery)
  A Widow's Petition Ostracon (c. 9th–7th centuries BCE)
  Siloam inscription (c. 701 BCE)
  LMLK seal (c. 700 BCE)
  Mesad Hashavyahu ostracon (c. 639–609 BCE)
  Ekron Royal Dedicatory Inscription (c. 600 BCE)
  Lachish letters (c. 598 BCE)
  1QpHab: The Habakkuk Pesher (c. 100 BCE)
  Gabriel's Revelation (late 1st century BCE)
  Bar Kokhba Revolt coinage (132–135 CE)
  pMur 42: Letter Attesting Ownership of a Cow (c. 135 CE)
caption: The Gezer calendar (c. 925 BCE ). Scholars are divided as to whether the script and language are Phoenician or paleo-Hebrew.[30][31][32][33][34]
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