Oldest alphabet from ancient Syrian tomb unearthed by archaeologists

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Reported by the Independent:

The oldest known alphabetic writing has been found etched onto finger-length clay cylinders unearthed from a tomb in Syria.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University in the US dated the writing to around 2400BC, preceding other known alphabetic scripts by about 500 years.

The finding, to be presented on Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Overseas Research, upends what we know about the origin and evolution of alphabets, and what they meant for early civilisations.

“Alphabetic writing changed the way people lived, how they thought, how they communicated,” archaeologist Glenn Schwartz, who was behind the clay cylinder’s discovery, said.

This form of writing may have revolutionised language by making it accessible to people beyond royalty and the social elite, scientists said.

Dr Schwartz and his team study how early urban areas in the Near East developed throughout Syria, and how smaller cities emerged in the area.

The team has been involved in a 16-year archaeological excavation at Tell Umm-el Marra, one of the first medium-sized ancient urban centres known to have popped up in western Syria.

At this site, archaeologists have previously uncovered tombs dating to the Early Bronze Age between 3500 and 2000BC.

One such well-preserved tomb was found to contain six skeletons, gold and silver jewellery, intact pottery, cookware, and a spearhead.

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