Advanced imaging techniques reveal the Bible dates back to at least 600 B.C. based on analysis of inscribed pottery, according to several reports.
While what’s on the pottery is “very mundane in nature,” says Arie Shaus, a mathematician at Tel Aviv University, the handwriting indicates literacy permeated most of Jewish Society during the First Temple Period, according to The Independent.
The mundane lists include soldiers’ provisions list, according to Answers in Genesis.
Historians used the knowledge to surmise the Bible was written earlier than previously thought.
“Most scholars agree that the earliest biblical texts—including the book of Joshua, Judges and the two books of Kings—took shape during what’s known as the late First Temple Period, before Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian king in 586 BCE,” writes Gizmodo‘s Maddie Stone. “But the circumstances surrounding the writing of these texts, including when they were first penned and by how many authors, remain unclear.”
Furthermore, The Independent reports the discovery reveals a sophisticated education system within the kingdom of Judah, and researches believe most of the Old Testament books could have been written and distributed during this time.
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