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
Simplified from the Byblos syllabary (Colless)
The alphabet was not invented from hieroglyphs at all but simplified from the Byblos syllabary, a West Semitic script already in use on the Lebanese coast.
Where it stands
Still possibleNone pieces of evidence for, one against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
What it predicts
- Byblos inscriptions will be securely dated earlier than c. 1850 BC.
- The Byblos syllabary will be deciphered as West Semitic with sign values that match the alphabetic letters.
What would rule it out
- Secure dating of the Byblos inscriptions later than the earliest alphabetic texts.
- Decipherment of the Byblos script showing values unrelated to the alphabetic letters.
Evidence none for · 1 against
The questions it answers
Open4 answers, none ahead
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). Simplified from the Byblos syllabary (Colless) [Answer ANS0DEDY98Z411M]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEDY98Z411M
@misc{mysteriesdept_ans0dedy98z411m,
title = {Simplified from the Byblos syllabary (Colless)},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Answer, catalog key ANS0DEDY98Z411M},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEDY98Z411M}
}