At the end of our tour [apparently in the vicinity of the the ruins of Etri], my 11-year-old son picked up an old piece of pottery and screamed with excitement. This might sound like it’s right out of a movie, but it’s true! He recognized ancient Hebrew writing on the back, and our guide pulled out an iPhone to Google the ancient Hebrew alphabet.
With bated breath, we waited to see if the message was legible. Sure enough, it spelled “Michael Ben- Baruch.”
The guide explained to us that the artifact we had found might not be authentic, but the “thrill of the find” kept my boys smiling for the rest of the day.
We carefully wrapped the piece and left a message for the Israel Antiquities Authority to set up a time to come and see it. They will be able to tell us if it’s authentic or if it was placed on the scene recently.
Here is the inscribed ostracon:
Alas, it appears to be a fake. The lettering looks freshly inscribed and the plene spellings of "Michael" (with a yod) and "Baruch" (with a vav) are anachronistic for the paleo-Hebrew script.