Gezer calendar
| Gezer calendar | |
|---|---|
 The calendar in its current location | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Size | 11.1 × 7.2 cm |
| Writing | Phoenician or paleo-Hebrew |
| Created | c. 10th century BCE |
| Discovered | 1908 |
| Present location | Istanbul Archaeology Museums |
| Identification | 2089 T |
The Gezer calendar is a small limestone tablet with an early Canaanite inscription discovered in 1908 by Irish archaeologist R. A. Stewart Macalister in the ancient city of Gezer, 20 miles west of Jerusalem. It is commonly dated to the 10th century BCE, although the excavation was unstratified[1] and its identification during the excavations was not in a "secure archaeological context", presenting uncertainty around the dating.[2]
Scholars are divided as to whether the language is Phoenician or Hebrew and whether the script is Phoenician (or Proto-Canaanite) or paleo-Hebrew.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Inscription[]
The calendar is inscribed on a limestone plaque and describes monthly or bi-monthly periods and attributes to each a duty such as harvest, planting, or tending specific crops.
The inscription, known as KAI 182, is in Phoenician or paleo-Hebrew script:
