Ketef Hinnom scrolls
The Ketef Hinnom scrolls, also described as Ketef Hinnom amulets, are the oldest surviving texts currently known from the Hebrew Bible, dated to c. 600 BC. The text, written in the Paleo-Hebrew script (not the Aramaic-derived Jewish square script Hebrew alphabet more familiar to most modern readers), is from the Book of Numbers in the Hebrew Bible, and has been described as "one of most significant discoveries ever made" for biblical studies.
| KH1 and KH2 scrolls | |
|---|---|
The two scrolls on display | |
| Material | Silver |
| Writing | Paleo-Hebrew characters |
| Created | circa 650–587 BCE (pre-exile) |
| Discovered | 1979 West Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel |
| Present location | Israel Museum |
The two silver scrolls were uncovered in 1979 at Ketef Hinnom, an archaeological site southwest of the Old City of Jerusalem, and were found to contain a variation of the Priestly Blessing, found in Numbers 6:24–26. The scrolls were dated paleographically to the late 7th or early 6th century BCE, placing them in the First Temple period.