Scientists have deciphered the world's oldest letter inscription

Scholars from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem deciphered the oldest letter inscription discovered, made on a small ivory comb. Its age is about 3,700 years.

It turned out that the artifact was inscribed with a plot from lice in Canaanite. The inscription literally reads: "Let this fang rip the lice out of the hair and beard." This is the first complete sentence written using the alphabet, scientists note.

The artifact itself is a comb 3.5 by 2.5 centimeters. It had six thick teeth on one side and 14 thin ones on the other. The width of the engraved tiny letters is only 1-3 millimeters. There are 17 of them, they form seven words.

The alphabet invented Canaanites around 1800 BC, formed the basis of most modern languages ​​of the world. However, no meaningful texts with him have been found so far.

Scientists also noted that the ivory comb was a luxury item in that era, and this proves that even people with high social status in ancient times suffered from parasites.