Scientists have long pegged the age of the Old Testament to the earliest known Hebrew writing. Until recently, that put the Hebrew Bible’s creation date somewhere in the 6th century B.C. Now, with the discovery of a 6-inch piece of ancient pottery, the O.T. just got 400 years older. That is, if you believe that the Bible’s authors started the instant they had a written language with which to work.

On the surface of the pottery, dated to the 10th century B.C., is written some text about how one should treat slaves, widows, and orphans. The content is apparently similar to Isaiah 1:17, Psalms 72:3, and Exodus 23:3.