Evidence · Proto-Sinaitic and Wadi el-Hol: the first alphabet
The recurring sign group reads b'lt, "Lady", by acrophonic values, and sits on a sphinx whose Egyptian text is a…
The recurring sign group reads b'lt, "Lady", by acrophonic values, and sits on a sphinx whose Egyptian text is a dedication to Hathor, the goddess Baalat was equated with.
What it means
Openunchanged
Answer this evidence bears onShort Northwest Semitic votive texts and names, partly readable
Supports2 for, none against
Still possibleunchanged
Next steps 4
1
Extend the corpus list (DAT0DEDVG40T7X0) with a sign-by-sign transliteration of every inscription from Sass 1988 and Hamilton 2006, marking uncertain and damaged signs, so readings can be compared on one table.
~20 h
—not judged
2
Transliterate every inscription sign by sign into the corpus list from Sass 1988 and Hamilton 2006.
~20 h
—not judged
3
Collate the published full readings (Albright 1966, Wilson-Wright 2016, Puech 2024, Darnell et al. 2005) inscription by inscription, and score where they agree on sign identity, direction and word division.
~12 h
—not judged
4
Compare sign counts on each rock panel between the 1917 Gardiner-Peet plates (DAT0DEDVGPGMXDV), Butin's copies and the British Museum photographs, to list which signs have been lost or are disputed since discovery.
~8 h
—not judged
Ranked by how likely each is to move the key question, for the time it takes
Sources 3
The Egyptian Origin of the Semitic Alphabet
SRCGardiner 1916
SRC
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). The recurring sign group reads b'lt, "Lady", by acrophonic values, and sits on a sphinx whose Egyptian text is a… [Evidence EVD0DEE968TSG59]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DEE968TSG59
@misc{mysteriesdept_evd0dee968tsg59,
title = {The recurring sign group reads b'lt, "Lady", by acrophonic values, and sits on a sphinx whose Egyptian text is a…},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Evidence, catalog key EVD0DEE968TSG59},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DEE968TSG59}
}