QuestionsByblos syllabaryWhere did the Byblos signs come from, and is the script related to the Proto-Sinaitic and Phoenician alphabets?Answer
Answer · Byblos syllabary
Egyptian-derived syllabary, ancestor of the alphabet (Hoch, Colless)
The Byblos signs were adapted from Egyptian hieroglyphic and hieratic signs, in particular the uniconsonantal signs, and the syllabary was in turn an ancestor of the Proto-Sinaitic and Phoenician alphabets.
Where it stands
Still possibleOne piece of evidence for, one against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
What it predicts
- Each frequent Byblos sign has a specific Egyptian parent whose consonant predicts the sign's consonant, and those predictions agree with the seal values.
- The signs shared with Phoenician letters occur in the Byblos texts with the consonants the letters later carry.
What would rule it out
- Seal-anchored values contradicting the consonants predicted from the Egyptian parents.
- An Iron Age date for the script, which would make the resemblances to letters imitation.
Evidence 1 for · 1 against
FOR
The questions it answers
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). Egyptian-derived syllabary, ancestor of the alphabet (Hoch, Colless) [Answer ANS0DEDT0YB9TS7]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEDT0YB9TS7
@misc{mysteriesdept_ans0dedt0yb9ts7,
title = {Egyptian-derived syllabary, ancestor of the alphabet (Hoch, Colless)},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Answer, catalog key ANS0DEDT0YB9TS7},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEDT0YB9TS7}
}