Evidence · Proto-Sinaitic and Wadi el-Hol: the first alphabet
A 15th-century hieratic ostracon from Theban Tomb 99 preserves the h-l-h-m letter order of the longer South Semitic…
A 15th-century hieratic ostracon from Theban Tomb 99 preserves the h-l-h-m letter order of the longer South Semitic alphabet, showing an order for a fuller consonant set existed early.
What it means
Key questionHow many letters did the earliest alphabet have, and which Egyptian signs are their prototypes?
2 answers, none ahead yet
Openunchanged
Answer this evidence bears onAbout 27 letters with Egyptian prototypes (Albright, Hamilton)
Supports2 for, none against
Still possibleunchanged
Sources 1
SRC
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). A 15th-century hieratic ostracon from Theban Tomb 99 preserves the h-l-h-m letter order of the longer South Semitic… [Evidence EVD0DEEB57EH5CM]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DEEB57EH5CM
@misc{mysteriesdept_evd0deeb57eh5cm,
title = {A 15th-century hieratic ostracon from Theban Tomb 99 preserves the h-l-h-m letter order of the longer South Semitic…},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Evidence, catalog key EVD0DEEB57EH5CM},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DEEB57EH5CM}
}