COURTESY DAFNA GAZIT, ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY

Most scholars work hard to follow the facts and avoid sensationalism, and here I give just one example. Excavations at Lachish in 2016 revealed an ivory comb incised with an early alphabetic inscription. The initial publication of the inscription was superb.1 The photographs are high quality, and there is no difficulty seeing the incised letters. Moreover, the drawing of the inscription is well done and corresponds nicely with the photos. The palaeographic discussion of the script is commendable, the readings are reasonable, and the philological analysis is detailed and methodologically sound. The content of the inscription is also fascinating: “May this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard” (ytš ḥṭ ḏ lqml ś‘ [r w]zqt). Amazingly, laboratory tests even discovered microbial remains of lice on the teeth of the comb.

I am not suggesting that everything is settled regarding the date and reading of this inscription. Indeed, scholarly research that is produced in the wake of a new discovery often advances the discussion. That’s the way it is supposed to be. But what I am suggesting is that the publication of this inscribed comb from the second millennium BCE is a very good model. These scholars did everything right. No sensationalism; just a sober, sophisticated analysis of a truly fascinating find.