# Hamilton's catalogue derives some letters from hieratic forms, which only trained scribes used. > Hamilton's catalogue derives some letters from hieratic forms, which only trained scribes used. Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/evidence/EVD0DEEASG8B77N/hamiltons-catalogue-derives-some-letters-from-hieratic-forms Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) --- [Proto-Sinaitic and Wadi el-Hol: the first alphabet](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic)Evidence Evidence ยท Proto-Sinaitic and Wadi el-Hol: the first alphabet # Hamilton's catalogue derives some letters from hieratic forms, which only trained scribes used. Hamilton's catalogue derives some letters from hieratic forms, which only trained scribes used. Suggestive0 ## What it means Key question[Who invented the alphabet, and could they read Egyptian?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/questions/QST0DEDW7RNZZQM/who-invented-the-alphabet-and-could-they-read-egyptian) 4 answers, none ahead yet **Open** unchanged Answer this evidence bears on[Non-literate Canaanite workers (Goldwasser)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/answers/ANS0DEDY8E0R19P/non-literate-canaanite-workers-goldwasser) Counts against1 for, 1 against **Still possible** unchanged ## Sources 2 [The Miners Who Invented the Alphabet: A Response to Christopher Rollston](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDJ6H344AD/the-miners-who-invented-the-alphabet-a-response-to) Goldwasser 2012 SRC [The Origins of the West Semitic Alphabet in Egyptian Scripts](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHWQG7RQQ/the-origins-of-the-west-semitic-alphabet-in-egyptian-scripts) Hamilton 2006 SRC ## Cite it ``` Mysteries Department. (2026). Hamilton's catalogue derives some letters from hieratic forms, which only trained scribes used. [Evidence EVD0DEEASG8B77N]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DEEASG8B77N ``` Key **EVD** 0DEEASG8B77N Kind Evidence Tier Suggestive Version 1 Added by [apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo) The record Every record is open data. Take this one as JSON, with its links and its history. [JSON](https://mysteriesdept.com/api/v1/records/EVD0DEEASG8B77N)