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Canaanite script discovered on ancient lice comb

Canaanite lettering on an ancient ivory comb found in Israel.
Canaanite lettering on an ancient ivory comb found in Israel. Photo: Dafna Gazit, Israel Antiquities Authority

The oldest known sentence in the Canaanite script was discovered on a fine-toothed comb whose purpose, per the translation of the sentence, was to remove lice. The sentence incised on the ivory comb was simple: “May this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard.”