QuestionsProto-Sinaitic and Wadi el-Hol: the first alphabetWho invented the alphabet, and could they read Egyptian?Answer
Answer · Proto-Sinaitic and Wadi el-Hol: the first alphabet
Literate Semites in Egyptian service (Rainey, Rollston, Hamilton)
The inventors were Semites of some standing who knew Egyptian writing, hieratic included, and worked within the Egyptian administration.
Where it stands
Still possibleOne piece of evidence for, one against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
What it predicts
- Some letters will require hieratic prototypes.
- Alphabetic texts will eventually be found in scribal or administrative contexts of the Middle Kingdom.
What would rule it out
- Demonstration that every letter has a monumental hieroglyphic prototype and none needs hieratic, together with continued absence of any scribal-context alphabetic text.
Evidence 1 for · 1 against
The questions it answers
Open4 answers, none ahead
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). Literate Semites in Egyptian service (Rainey, Rollston, Hamilton) [Answer ANS0DEDY8ZN88Z3]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEDY8ZN88Z3
@misc{mysteriesdept_ans0dedy8zn88z3,
title = {Literate Semites in Egyptian service (Rainey, Rollston, Hamilton)},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Answer, catalog key ANS0DEDY8ZN88Z3},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEDY8ZN88Z3}
}