Answer · Byblos syllabary

Early Bronze Age, c. 2400 BC or earlier (Mendenhall, Hoch)

The script originated in the Early Bronze Age, about 2400 BC or earlier, when the Egyptian Old Kingdom signs it resembles were current.

Still possibleAnswers 1 question0

Where it stands

Still possibleOne piece of evidence for, none against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

What it predicts

Sign-by-sign comparison finds the best Egyptian matches in Old Kingdom rather than Middle Kingdom forms.
A Byblos-script object turns up in an Early Bronze Age context.

What would rule it out

Bronze tablets of this size and technique shown to be unparalleled before the Middle Bronze Age.
Alloy or archival evidence for a later date.

Evidence 1 for · none against

Hoch finds the closest Egyptian parallels for the Byblos sign forms in Old Kingdom characters of about 2700 to 2200 BC.

Speculative

FOR

The questions it answers

When were the Byblos inscriptions written?

Open3 answers, none ahead

Cite it

Mysteries Department. (2026). Early Bronze Age, c. 2400 BC or earlier (Mendenhall, Hoch) [Answer ANS0DEDT0M1GCMG]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEDT0M1GCMG

@misc{mysteriesdept_ans0dedt0m1gcmg,
  title     = {Early Bronze Age, c. 2400 BC or earlier (Mendenhall, Hoch)},
  author    = {{Mysteries Department}},
  year      = {2026},
  note      = {Answer, catalog key ANS0DEDT0M1GCMG},
  url       = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEDT0M1GCMG}
}