Evidence · Proto-Sinaitic and Wadi el-Hol: the first alphabet
Twelve signs of eight shapes cannot show whether a system is alphabetic, and nothing comparable is known for the next…
Twelve signs of eight shapes cannot show whether a system is alphabetic, and nothing comparable is known for the next 500 years.
What it means
Key questionAre the Umm el-Marra clay cylinders of about 2400 BC alphabetic writing?
3 answers, none ahead yet
Openunchanged
Answer this evidence bears onAlphabetic writing of c. 2400 BC (Schwartz)
Counts against1 for, 1 against
Still possibleunchanged
Next steps 1
1
Compare the eight Umm el-Marra sign shapes with Early Bronze Syrian potters' marks as a null model, alongside the Early Alphabetic forms.
~10 h
—not judged
Ranked by how likely each is to move the key question, for the time it takes
Sources 2
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). Twelve signs of eight shapes cannot show whether a system is alphabetic, and nothing comparable is known for the next… [Evidence EVD0DEEB12E7SF2]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DEEB12E7SF2
@misc{mysteriesdept_evd0deeb12e7sf2,
title = {Twelve signs of eight shapes cannot show whether a system is alphabetic, and nothing comparable is known for the next…},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Evidence, catalog key EVD0DEEB12E7SF2},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DEEB12E7SF2}
}