How many letters did the earliest alphabet have, and which Egyptian signs are their prototypes?
Two answers, none aheadNone is ahead yet. See what would settle it.
Where it stands
Two answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Two are still possible.
Why it matters
Albright identified 23 of a probable 27 letters; Hamilton's catalogue gives each a hieroglyphic or hieratic prototype and keeps consonants such as ghayin that Phoenician later merged, as Vanderhooft argues for a Wadi el-Hol sign[1][2][3]. Sign counts on the weathered rock panels differ between Gardiner and Peet's 1917 plates, Butin's copies and later photographs, so the inventory depends partly on which record is trusted[4][5].
Answers 2
History
- William Foxwell Albright: albright identified 23 of a probable 27 letters, Hamilton gives each an Egyptian prototype, and a Wadi el-Hol sign has…For: About 27 letters with Egyptian prototypes (Albright, Hamilton)
- Gordon J. Hamilton: albright identified 23 of a probable 27 letters, Hamilton gives each an Egyptian prototype, and a Wadi el-Hol sign has…For: About 27 letters with Egyptian prototypes (Albright, Hamilton)
- Orly Goldwasser: several different hieroglyphs serve as a single letter in the early texts, which fits an inventory that was not yet…For: None of these.
- David S. Vanderhooft: albright identified 23 of a probable 27 letters, Hamilton gives each an Egyptian prototype, and a Wadi el-Hol sign has…For: About 27 letters with Egyptian prototypes (Albright, Hamilton)
- Ben Haring: a 15th-century hieratic ostracon from Theban Tomb 99 preserves the h-l-h-m letter order of the longer South Semitic…For: About 27 letters with Egyptian prototypes (Albright, Hamilton)
- Session 1: raised the question and proposed two answers