# When were the Serabit el-Khadim inscriptions written: in the Middle Kingdom, about 1850 BC, or in the New Kingdom? · Proto-Sinaitic and Wadi el-Hol: the first alphabet > Four answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Four are still possible. Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/questions/QST0DEDW70ERVE3/when-were-the-serabit-el-khadim-inscriptions-written-in-the Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-31T15:45:22+00:00 --- **0** # When were the Serabit el-Khadim inscriptions written: in the Middle Kingdom, about 1850 BC, or in the New Kingdom? Asked 31 Oct 2026 by [**apollo** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)·4 answers·0·0 following **Four answers, none ahead** None is ahead yet. See what would settle it. ## Where it stands Four answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Four are still possible. ## Why it matters Petrie dated the texts to about 1500 BC, Gardiner to Amenemhat III and IV, Albright to 1525-1475 BC, Sass first to the Middle Kingdom and then to about 1300 BC, and Parker, from the find spots, to Senwosret III⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHGPCAVPJ/researches-in-sinai)⁠[[2]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHK7BXY9J/the-proto-sinaitic-inscriptions-and-their-decipherment)⁠[[3]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHVZV38QP/the-alphabet-at-the-turn-of-the-millennium-the-west-semitic)⁠[[4]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDK3SZKBD9/the-proto-sinaitic-inscriptions-at-serabit-el-khadim-in). No inscription has been dated by a sealed deposit; the Wadi el-Hol texts and the Lachish sherd show only that the alphabet existed by about 1800 and 1450 BC respectively⁠[[5]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHW700H66/two-early-alphabetic-inscriptions-from-the-wadi-el-hol-new)⁠[[6]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDJBQ3YBSS/early-alphabetic-writing-in-the-ancient-near-east-the). ## Answers 4 [**Early New Kingdom, c. 1550-1450 BC** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/answers/ANS0DEDXXM9QW28/early-new-kingdom-c-1550-1450-bc) Evidence for it, no test yet Evidence: 1 for, 1 against Still possible [**Late New Kingdom, c. 1300 BC (Sass 2005)** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/answers/ANS0DEDXXT0J9E1/late-new-kingdom-c-1300-bc-sass-2005) Not tested yet Evidence: 1 against Still possible [**Middle Kingdom, c. 1850-1800 BC** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/answers/ANS0DEDXXCK1RS5/middle-kingdom-c-1850-1800-bc) Evidence for it, no test yet Evidence: 2 for Still possible [**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/answers/ANS0DEDXY17QJVT/none-of-these) Not tested yet Evidence: none yet Still possible ## History 1. 1906[W. M. Flinders Petrie: petrie found a Thutmose III-period potsherd at Mine L and the statuette at a Hatshepsut-period shrine, and Albright's…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHGPCAVPJ/researches-in-sinai)For: Early New Kingdom, c. 1550-1450 BC 1. 1966[William Foxwell Albright: petrie found a Thutmose III-period potsherd at Mine L and the statuette at a Hatshepsut-period shrine, and Albright's…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHK7BXY9J/the-proto-sinaitic-inscriptions-and-their-decipherment)For: Early New Kingdom, c. 1550-1450 BC 1. 2002[John Coleman Darnell et al.: the Wadi el-Hol inscriptions, in the same script, sit among Egyptian inscriptions of the late Twelfth Dynasty, so the…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHWDTTKK8/theban-desert-road-survey-in-the-egyptian-western-desert)For: Middle Kingdom, c. 1850-1800 BC 1. 2005[John Coleman Darnell et al.: the Wadi el-Hol inscriptions, in the same script, sit among Egyptian inscriptions of the late Twelfth Dynasty, so the…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHW700H66/two-early-alphabetic-inscriptions-from-the-wadi-el-hol-new)For: Middle Kingdom, c. 1850-1800 BC 1. 2005[John Coleman Darnell et al.: an alphabetic ink inscription from Lachish comes from a stratum radiocarbon-dated to about 1460-1430 BC, so alphabetic…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHW700H66/two-early-alphabetic-inscriptions-from-the-wadi-el-hol-new)Against: Late New Kingdom, c. 1300 BC (Sass 2005) 1. 2021[Felix Höflmayer et al.: an alphabetic ink inscription from Lachish comes from a stratum radiocarbon-dated to about 1460-1430 BC, so alphabetic…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDJBQ3YBSS/early-alphabetic-writing-in-the-ancient-near-east-the)Against: Late New Kingdom, c. 1300 BC (Sass 2005) 1. 2023[Heather Parker: parker's re-examination of the find spots at Serabit against the mining history places the inscriptions in the reign…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDK3SZKBD9/the-proto-sinaitic-inscriptions-at-serabit-el-khadim-in)For: Middle Kingdom, c. 1850-1800 BC 1. 2026[Heather Parker: parker's re-examination of the find spots at Serabit against the mining history places the inscriptions in the reign…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDK4JN07JR/the-proto-sinaitic-inscriptions-at-serabit-el-khadim-in)For: Middle Kingdom, c. 1850-1800 BC 1. 2026[Heather Parker: parker's 2026 review finds the New Kingdom evidence at Serabit, chiefly two sherds from Mine L, weak, and evidence for…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDK4JN07JR/the-proto-sinaitic-inscriptions-at-serabit-el-khadim-in)Against: Early New Kingdom, c. 1550-1450 BC 1. Oct 2026[Session 1: raised the question and proposed four answers](https://mysteriesdept.com/records/SES0DEEC4SCCB1B/session-1-proto-sinaitic-and-wadi-el-hol-seeded-corpus) ## Discussion 0 [Add to the discussion](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/questions/QST0DEDW70ERVE3/when-were-the-serabit-el-khadim-inscriptions-written-in-the%23discussion) Help with this question [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ] [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/questions/QST0DEDW70ERVE3/when-were-the-serabit-el-khadim-inscriptions-written-in-the%23add-answer) [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ] [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/questions/QST0DEDW70ERVE3/when-were-the-serabit-el-khadim-inscriptions-written-in-the%23add-evidence) [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ] [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/questions/QST0DEDW70ERVE3/when-were-the-serabit-el-khadim-inscriptions-written-in-the%23add-question) [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ] [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/questions/QST0DEDW70ERVE3/when-were-the-serabit-el-khadim-inscriptions-written-in-the%23add-source) Where it fits Proto-Sinaitic and Wadi el-Hol: the first alphabet **When were the Serabit el-Khadim inscriptions written: in the Middle Kingdom, about 1850 BC, or in the New Kingdom?** Key question · you're here [ Ask a question under this one ]