Archaeologists from Johns Hopkins University have uncovered what could be the oldest known alphabetic script, dating back to approximately 2400 BCE, in a tomb in Syria. This groundbreaking discovery, made using carbon-14 dating, suggests that alphabetic writing predates the previously accepted origins by about 500 years and possibly originated in a region far from Egypt, where scholars had believed the first alphabets emerged.
The find includes four finger-length clay cylinders etched with alphabetic symbols. These were unearthed alongside six skeletons in an Early Bronze Age tomb, surrounded by gold and silver jewelry, pottery, cookware, and a spearhead.
The cylinders were described in an academic paper in 2021 but gained widespread attention after being presented this week at the American Society of Overseas Research’s annual meeting.
“This discovery indicates that early civilizations were experimenting with new communication technologies much earlier and in different locations than previously thought,” said Glenn Schwartz, a professor of archaeology at Johns Hopkins University.
Previously, it was widely believed that the alphabet originated around 1900 BCE in Egypt, evolving from hieroglyphics. However, these artefacts challenge that theory, suggesting that the first alphabets could have emerged independently in Syria.
“Our findings suggest an entirely different origin story for the alphabet, which could revolutionize how we understand the history of written communication,” Schwartz added.
The writing on the clay cylinders has yet to be translated. Scholars speculate that they may have been used as labels, possibly detailing the contents or origins of vessels.
Why It Matters
The alphabet, unlike earlier pictorial scripts such as cuneiform or hieroglyphics, made writing more accessible to the general population, not just the elite. The Syrian discovery may mark a pivotal moment when written communication began to transition towards a more universal tool.
Human civilizations have long used various methods to record and share information. While the Sumerians relied on cuneiform and the Egyptians on hieroglyphics, this finding suggests that early experiments with alphabetic writing occurred in parallel with these systems, reshaping our understanding of linguistic history.
Further research into these artefacts could unlock new insights into how and why early civilizations developed writing systems, bridging the gap between pictorial communication and the alphabets we use today.
