Archaeologists have made a major breakthrough after discovering the oldest known alphabet from 4,400 years ago, challenging previously held beliefs.
Glenn Schwartz, a professor of archaeology at Johns Hopkins University, unearthed finger-length clay cylinders with alphabetic text etched into them in 2004.
He found them at Tell Umm-el Marra in Syria, a city in the northwest of the country that was once the site of two prominent trade routes.
The dig site contained many ancient tombs dating back to the Early Bronze Age from 3500-2000 BC, with one of the most well-preserved containing six skeletons, jewellery, cookware, a spearhead, and pottery.
On Thursday, the university presented new findings to the the American Society of Overseas Research, revealling that the markings date back to 2400 BC – 500 years before other known alphabetic scripts.
This challenges the notion that the Ancient Egyptians created the first alphabet. In 2400 BC, they had developed hieratic script, a cursive form of hieroglyphic signs.
Schwartz said: “Previously, scholars thought the alphabet was invented in or around Egypt sometime after 1900 BC.
“But our artifacts are older and from a different area on the map, suggesting the alphabet may have an entirely different origin story than we thought.”
The cylinders may have been labels, possibly containing drinks that were due to be transported, and the writing could be the names or descriptions of what was inside, according to Schwartz.
He said: “Alphabetic writing changed the way people lived, how they thought, how they communicated.
“This new discovery shows people were experimenting with new communication technologies much earlier and in a different location than we had imagined.”
However, he added that he “can only speculate” exactly what is written in the cylinders. He said: “The cylinders were perforated, so I’m imagining a string tethering them to another object to act as a label.
“Maybe they detail the contents of a vessel, or maybe where the vessel came from, or who it belonged to. Without a means to translate the writing, we can only speculate.”
