Ancient Hebrew is a Semitic language that was spoken by the ancient Israelites. It is primarily known from the Hebrew Bible, also called the Tanakh, which includes religious texts and historical narratives. The language evolved over time, with its earliest forms dating back to around the 10th century BCE. The script used for Ancient Hebrew is known as the Paleo-Hebrew script, which resembles other ancient Semitic scripts. Over centuries, it transitioned to the square script used in modern Hebrew today. Ancient Hebrew is significant for its cultural and religious impact, influencing Judaism and Christianity.