Archaeologists have discovered the oldest alphabetic writing ever recorded, dating back to around 2400 BC, etched on clay cylinders found in a tomb at Tell Umm-el Marra, Syria.
The groundbreaking find predates previously known alphabetic scripts by 500 years, challenging the belief that the alphabet originated in Egypt after 1900 BC.
The cylinders, potentially used as labels, hint at an earlier and alternative origin of alphabetic writing, marking a pivotal shift from hieroglyphics to more accessible communication.
The discovery, part of a 16-year excavation led by Johns Hopkins University and the University of Amsterdam, demonstrates the innovative experimentation with writing technologies in the Early Bronze Age.
Ancient 4,400-year-old text is found on clay cylinders from a tomb in Syria – preceding any other known alphabetic scripts by roughly 500 years.
The finger-length cylinders were found at Tell Umm-el Marra, a former city located in today’s northwestern Syria. pic.twitter.com/mGYgdFqgKJ— News Studio (@NewsStudio2024) November 21, 2024
