page_title: Zayit Stone
hierarchical_section_title: Zayit Stone
caption_attribution_description: English: This is a drawing I made of ancient inscriptions &amp; other markings on the Zayit Stone excavated in modern Israel during 2005. I grant any entity the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. עברית: תיאור הכתובת הארכאולוגית שהתגלתה על אבן תל זית, בכתובת מופיעות אותיות האלפבית העברי העתיק על פי הסדר בשינויים קלים.
context_page_description: The Zayit Stone is a 38-pound limestone boulder discovered on 15 July 2005 at Tel Zayit in the Guvrin Valley, about 50 kilometres southwest of Jerusalem. The boulder measures 37.5 by 27 by 15.7 centimetres and was embedded in the stone wall of a building.
  It is the earliest known example of the complete Phoenician or Old Hebrew script as it had developed after the Bronze Age collapse out of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet.
  The flat side of the boulder is inscribed with a complete abecedary, although in a different order to the traditional version. The first line contains eighteen letters, while the second contains the remaining four letters followed by two enigmatic zigzag symbols.
context_section_description: The Zayit Stone is a 38-pound (17 kg) limestone boulder discovered on 15 July 2005 at Tel Zayit (Zeitah) in the Guvrin Valley, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) southwest of Jerusalem. The boulder measures 37.5 by 27 by 15.7 centimetres (14.8 in × 10.6 in × 6.2 in) and was embedded in the stone wall of a building. 
  It is the earliest known example of the complete Phoenician or Old Hebrew script as it had developed after the Bronze Age collapse out of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet.
  The flat side of the boulder is inscribed with a complete abecedary, although in a different order to the traditional version. The first line contains eighteen letters (aleph through tsadi), while the second contains the remaining four letters (qoph through tav) followed by two enigmatic zigzag symbols.
caption: Drawing of inscription on the Zayit Stone
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