Image Details

COLLECTION OF ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY/PHOTO © THE ISRAEL MUSEUM, JERUSALEM

KNOW YOUR LETTERS. Written with ink on a reused piece of pottery (ostracon), this letter, Lachish Letter #3, comes from the fortified city of Lachish in ancient Judah. A junior officer wrote it to the commander of Lachish in the sixth century B.C.E., shortly before the fort fell to the Babylonians. It mentions a Judahite military commander who went down to Egypt, possibly to solicit help, and a prophet who warns the army to be on their guard. The majority of the letter, however, is a defense of the junior officer’s ability to read and write. Indeed, the junior officer pens his letter using the Old Hebrew script with cursive letterforms, which hints at proficiency and quick writing.