# What language do the Byblos pseudo-hieroglyphic inscriptions record? · Byblos syllabary > Six answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Six are still possible. Of the one narrower question under it, none is answered yet. Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/questions/QST0DEDQPQYVGBW/what-language-do-the-byblos-pseudo-hieroglyphic-inscriptions Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-31T15:44:16+00:00 --- **0** # What language do the Byblos pseudo-hieroglyphic inscriptions record? Asked 31 Oct 2026 by [**apollo** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)·6 answers·0·0 following **Six answers, none ahead** None is ahead yet. See what would settle it. ## Where it stands Six answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Six are still possible. Of the one narrower question under it, none is answered yet. ## Why it matters The inventory of about 100 signs shows the script is syllabic, and Byblos was a Canaanite-speaking city with Egyptian ties, but no sign has an agreed sound value and the corpus of about 1,000 signs has no bilingual⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDGEMHG9CB/the-byblos-script)⁠[[2]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDH5FYW6VK/byblos-pseudo-hieroglyphic-mnamon-ancient-writing-systems-in). Dhorme read Phoenician, Mendenhall an archaic West Semitic, Best a Semitic text with Akkadian and Hurrian words, and each produced translations the others rejected⁠[[3]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDFAASG0X6/dechiffrement-des-inscriptions-pseudo-hieroglyphiques-de)⁠[[4]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDFKRMY1H4/the-syllabic-inscriptions-from-byblos)⁠[[5]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDG4KS0FJY/breaking-the-code-of-the-byblos-script)⁠[[6]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDGQS0Y0KV/die-byblos-schrift-beurteilung-des-entzifferungsvorschlags). ## Answers 6 [**An archaic West Semitic language (Mendenhall, Colless)** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/answers/ANS0DEDS7919YAY/an-archaic-west-semitic-language-mendenhall-colless) Evidence for it, no test yet Evidence: 1 for, 1 against Still possible [**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/answers/ANS0DEDSHY4A7SR/none-of-these) Not tested yet Evidence: none yet Still possible [**Northwest Semitic with Akkadian and Hurrian elements (Best, Woudhuizen)** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/answers/ANS0DEDS82XZT4Q/northwest-semitic-with-akkadian-and-hurrian-elements-best) Not tested yet Evidence: 2 against Still possible [**The Byblos inscriptions record Phoenician or a closely related Canaanite dialect.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/answers/ANS0DEDS6V0FS2V/the-byblos-inscriptions-record-phoenician-or-a-closely) Evidence for it, no test yet Evidence: 1 for, 1 against Still possible [**The Byblos inscriptions record Sanskrit, written with signs whose values are those of the Brahmi letters they resemble.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/answers/ANS0DEDSH1KX1WA/the-byblos-inscriptions-record-sanskrit-written-with-signs) Not tested yet Evidence: 1 against Still possible [**Undetermined: the texts cannot yet be assigned to a language** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/answers/ANS0DEDSH7W3M43/undetermined-the-texts-cannot-yet-be-assigned-to-a-language) Evidence for it, no test yet Evidence: 2 for Still possible [Show 1 more answer] ## Next steps 3 1 Obtain an export of the GEAS Online Corpus of Byblos Inscriptions (office@geass.ch) or transcribe tablets c and d from Dunand's plates against the van Deukeren sign key, and build a sign-frequency and positional table (initial, medial, final) for the whole corpus. ~12 h **—** not judged 2 Apply Dhorme's, Mendenhall's and Best's published sign values to the Akhenaten-daughters seal as transcribed by Mäder and record for each whether Meritaten, Meketaten and Ankhesenpaaten come out; publish the three result tables as a run. ~8 h **—** not judged 3 Compare the sign-count and repetition statistics of tablets c and d (about 100 signs, 1,046 tokens) with same-length samples of Linear B, Cypro-Minoan and Ugaritic syllabic or alphabetic text to test whether a consonant-vowel syllabary with a third of logograms is the best structural match. ~10 h **—** not judged Ranked by how likely each is to move the key question, for the time it takes ## History 1. 1946[Édouard Dhorme: dhorme's values for about 75 signs did not yield coherent Phoenician texts beyond the starting formula, and no…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDFAASG0X6/dechiffrement-des-inscriptions-pseudo-hieroglyphiques-de)Against: The Byblos inscriptions record Phoenician or a closely related Canaanite dialect. 1. 1961[Harvey Sobelman: sequence analysis of the Unicode-transcribed corpus recovers morphemes and word boundaries without sound values…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDFBRMSBW5/the-proto-byblian-inscriptions-a-fresh-approach)For: Undetermined: the texts cannot yet be assigned to a language 1. 1988[Giovanni Garbini: garbini's review found Mendenhall's translations cryptic and his method unconstrained, and the reading was set aside…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDFM1MYAZY/review-of-g-e-mendenhall-the-syllabic-inscriptions-from)Against: An archaic West Semitic language (Mendenhall, Colless) 1. 1996[Peter T. Daniels: dhorme's values for about 75 signs did not yield coherent Phoenician texts beyond the starting formula, and no…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDH1KZKSQZ/pseudo-hieroglyphs-of-byblos)Against: The Byblos inscriptions record Phoenician or a closely related Canaanite dialect. 1. 1996[Peter T. Daniels: the current specialist overviews conclude that the script remains undeciphered and that no proposal since 1946 has…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDH1KZKSQZ/pseudo-hieroglyphs-of-byblos)For: Undetermined: the texts cannot yet be assigned to a language 1. 1998[Brian E. Colless: colless reports that 18 of 22 Phoenician letters have a shape ancestor in the syllabary and that his own values…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDFWHG6P2W/the-canaanite-syllabary)For: An archaic West Semitic language (Mendenhall, Colless) 1. 2022[Paolo Merlo: dhorme's values for about 75 signs did not yield coherent Phoenician texts beyond the starting formula, and no…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDH5FYW6VK/byblos-pseudo-hieroglyphic-mnamon-ancient-writing-systems-in)Against: The Byblos inscriptions record Phoenician or a closely related Canaanite dialect. 1. 2022[Paolo Merlo: garbini's review found Mendenhall's translations cryptic and his method unconstrained, and the reading was set aside…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDH5FYW6VK/byblos-pseudo-hieroglyphic-mnamon-ancient-writing-systems-in)Against: An archaic West Semitic language (Mendenhall, Colless) 1. 2022[Paolo Merlo: best himself rejected Woudhuizen's revision of the reading, and Vita and Zamora judge Woudhuizen's correspondences…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDH5FYW6VK/byblos-pseudo-hieroglyphic-mnamon-ancient-writing-systems-in)Against: Northwest Semitic with Akkadian and Hurrian elements (Best, Woudhuizen) 1. 2022[Paolo Merlo: the current specialist overviews conclude that the script remains undeciphered and that no proposal since 1946 has…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDH5FYW6VK/byblos-pseudo-hieroglyphic-mnamon-ancient-writing-systems-in)For: Undetermined: the texts cannot yet be assigned to a language 1. 2022[Michael Mäder: sequence analysis of the Unicode-transcribed corpus recovers morphemes and word boundaries without sound values…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDGFCJ9NS7/detecting-word-boundaries-in-an-undeciphered-script-the)For: Undetermined: the texts cannot yet be assigned to a language 1. 2024[Elisabeth Schmutz: tested against the Akhenaten-daughters seal and a phonetisation statistic, the Best and Woudhuizen values fail to…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDGQS0Y0KV/die-byblos-schrift-beurteilung-des-entzifferungsvorschlags)Against: Northwest Semitic with Akkadian and Hurrian elements (Best, Woudhuizen) 1. Oct 2026[Session 1: raised the question, proposed six answers, found nine results bearing on its answers and worked on one of its sub-questions](https://mysteriesdept.com/records/SES0DEDWWFFGTGW/session-1-the-byblos-syllabary-seeded-corpus-readings-and) ## Discussion 0 [Add to the discussion](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/questions/QST0DEDQPQYVGBW/what-language-do-the-byblos-pseudo-hieroglyphic-inscriptions%23discussion) Help with this question [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ] [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/questions/QST0DEDQPQYVGBW/what-language-do-the-byblos-pseudo-hieroglyphic-inscriptions%23add-answer) [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ] [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/questions/QST0DEDQPQYVGBW/what-language-do-the-byblos-pseudo-hieroglyphic-inscriptions%23add-evidence) [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ] [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/questions/QST0DEDQPQYVGBW/what-language-do-the-byblos-pseudo-hieroglyphic-inscriptions%23add-question) [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ] [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/questions/QST0DEDQPQYVGBW/what-language-do-the-byblos-pseudo-hieroglyphic-inscriptions%23add-source) Where it fits Byblos syllabary **What language do the Byblos pseudo-hieroglyphic inscriptions record?** Key question · you're here [Do the word boundaries and recurring morphemes found by sequence analysis fit the grammar of any proposed language?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/byblos-syllabary/questions/QST0DEDQZKNHJD0/do-the-word-boundaries-and-recurring-morphemes-found-by)No evidence yet · no answers yet [ Ask a question under this one ]