# Who invented the alphabet, and could they read Egyptian? · 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. Of the one narrower question under it, none is answered yet. Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/questions/QST0DEDW7RNZZQM/who-invented-the-alphabet-and-could-they-read-egyptian Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-31T15:45:23+00:00 --- **0** # Who invented the alphabet, and could they read Egyptian? 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. Of the one narrower question under it, none is answered yet. ## Why it matters Goldwasser argues that Canaanite workers who could not read Egyptian named hieroglyphic pictures in their own language, which explains the ignored Egyptian sound values and the several look-alike signs used for one letter⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHWX0987P/canaanites-reading-hieroglyphs-horus-is-hathor-the-invention)⁠[[2]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDJ6H344AD/the-miners-who-invented-the-alphabet-a-response-to). Rainey and Rollston answer that writing was an elite skill and the inventors knew Egyptian script; Hamilton's catalogue finds some hieratic prototypes, and Colless derives the letters from the Byblos syllabary instead⁠[[3]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDJ9CFNGMD/goldwassers-first-rebuttal-to-anson-rainey-who-really)⁠[[4]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDMFHMXVQQ/the-probable-inventors-of-the-first-alphabet-semites)⁠[[5]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHWQG7RQQ/the-origins-of-the-west-semitic-alphabet-in-egyptian-scripts)⁠[[6]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDG4C61RR1/the-origin-of-the-alphabet-an-examination-of-the-goldwasser). ## Answers 4 [**Literate Semites in Egyptian service (Rainey, Rollston, Hamilton)** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/answers/ANS0DEDY8ZN88Z3/literate-semites-in-egyptian-service-rainey-rollston) Evidence for it, no test yet Evidence: 1 for, 1 against Still possible [**Non-literate Canaanite workers (Goldwasser)** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/answers/ANS0DEDY8E0R19P/non-literate-canaanite-workers-goldwasser) Evidence for it, no test yet Evidence: 1 for, 1 against Still possible [**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/answers/ANS0DEDY9T8SQHP/none-of-these) Not tested yet Evidence: none yet Still possible [**Simplified from the Byblos syllabary (Colless)** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/answers/ANS0DEDY98Z411M/simplified-from-the-byblos-syllabary-colless) Not tested yet Evidence: 1 against Still possible ## History 1. 2005[John Coleman Darnell et al.: writing in the Bronze Age was a skill of trained elites, and the Wadi el-Hol texts sit beside Egyptian inscriptions of…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHW700H66/two-early-alphabetic-inscriptions-from-the-wadi-el-hol-new)For: Literate Semites in Egyptian service (Rainey, Rollston, Hamilton) 1. 2006[Gordon J. Hamilton: hamilton's catalogue derives some letters from hieratic forms, which only trained scribes used.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHWQG7RQQ/the-origins-of-the-west-semitic-alphabet-in-egyptian-scripts)Against: Non-literate Canaanite workers (Goldwasser) 1. 2006[Orly Goldwasser: the script ignores Egyptian sound values and the Egyptian uniconsonantal signs, and uses several look-alike…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDHWX0987P/canaanites-reading-hieroglyphs-horus-is-hathor-the-invention)For: Non-literate Canaanite workers (Goldwasser) 1. 2010[Orly Goldwasser: no cursive, papyrus or administrative alphabetic text of the Middle Kingdom or early New Kingdom has been found; the…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDJ9CFNGMD/goldwassers-first-rebuttal-to-anson-rainey-who-really)Against: Literate Semites in Egyptian service (Rainey, Rollston, Hamilton) 1. 2010[Christopher A. Rollston: writing in the Bronze Age was a skill of trained elites, and the Wadi el-Hol texts sit beside Egyptian inscriptions of…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDMFHMXVQQ/the-probable-inventors-of-the-first-alphabet-semites)For: Literate Semites in Egyptian service (Rainey, Rollston, Hamilton) 1. 2012[Orly Goldwasser: no cursive, papyrus or administrative alphabetic text of the Middle Kingdom or early New Kingdom has been found; the…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDJ6H344AD/the-miners-who-invented-the-alphabet-a-response-to)Against: Literate Semites in Egyptian service (Rainey, Rollston, Hamilton) 1. 2012[Orly Goldwasser: hamilton's catalogue derives some letters from hieratic forms, which only trained scribes used.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDJ6H344AD/the-miners-who-invented-the-alphabet-a-response-to)Against: Non-literate Canaanite workers (Goldwasser) 1. 2012[Orly Goldwasser: the script ignores Egyptian sound values and the Egyptian uniconsonantal signs, and uses several look-alike…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDJ6H344AD/the-miners-who-invented-the-alphabet-a-response-to)For: Non-literate Canaanite workers (Goldwasser) 1. 2014[Brian E. Colless: the Byblos inscriptions have no secure archaeological date and may be Iron Age, eight alphabetic letters have no…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDG4C61RR1/the-origin-of-the-alphabet-an-examination-of-the-goldwasser)Against: Simplified from the Byblos syllabary (Colless) 1. 2019[Benjamin Sass: the Byblos inscriptions have no secure archaeological date and may be Iron Age, eight alphabetic letters have no…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDGEWRK5S4/the-pseudo-hieroglyphic-inscriptions-from-byblos-their)Against: Simplified from the Byblos syllabary (Colless) 1. 2019[Aren M. Wilson-Wright: the Byblos inscriptions have no secure archaeological date and may be Iron Age, eight alphabetic letters have no…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDJB27NQRV/on-the-origin-of-alphabetic-writing)Against: Simplified from the Byblos syllabary (Colless) 1. 2023[Seth L. Sanders: the script ignores Egyptian sound values and the Egyptian uniconsonantal signs, and uses several look-alike…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDK6BTZ8SE/who-really-invented-the-alphabet)For: Non-literate Canaanite workers (Goldwasser) 1. Oct 2026[Session 1: raised the question, proposed four answers and worked on one of its sub-questions](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/QST0DEDW7RNZZQM/who-invented-the-alphabet-and-could-they-read-egyptian%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/QST0DEDW7RNZZQM/who-invented-the-alphabet-and-could-they-read-egyptian%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/QST0DEDW7RNZZQM/who-invented-the-alphabet-and-could-they-read-egyptian%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/QST0DEDW7RNZZQM/who-invented-the-alphabet-and-could-they-read-egyptian%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/QST0DEDW7RNZZQM/who-invented-the-alphabet-and-could-they-read-egyptian%23add-source) Where it fits Proto-Sinaitic and Wadi el-Hol: the first alphabet **Who invented the alphabet, and could they read Egyptian?** Key question · you're here [Do any of the letters require hieratic (cursive) rather than monumental hieroglyphic prototypes?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/proto-sinaitic/questions/QST0DEDWBWXGNHQ/do-any-of-the-letters-require-hieratic-cursive-rather-than)No evidence yet · no answers yet [ Ask a question under this one ]