Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery in northern Syria, uncovering what may be the oldest known scrap of alphabetic writing. The finding dates back approximately 4,500 years and could be a nearly 4,500-year-old gift tag. A clay cylinder discovered in a tomb containing six skeletons was found to bear the word “silanu,” which may be a name.
According to Glenn Schwartz, an archaeologist at Johns Hopkins University, the discovery challenges our previous understanding of the introduction of the alphabet. The original Proto-Sinaitic alphabet is believed to have been created around 1900 B.C.E. by people speaking a Semitic language in ancient Egypt. However, this new finding suggests that people in other parts of the Near East experimented with hieroglyph-derived letters much earlier.
The clay cylinder was discovered in 2004 and radiocarbon analysis revealed an age of around 2400 B.C.E. Schwartz’s interpretation of the inscriptions as alphabetic letters has sparked debate among researchers, some of whom are eager for more evidence to confirm their claims. However, others are convinced that the findings match up with existing knowledge.
The discovery is significant, not only because it pushes back our understanding of the alphabet’s origins but also due to its implications on trade networks and cultural exchange in ancient times. “It’s easy-peasy,” says Silvia Ferrara, a professor in early languages at the University of Bologna. The morphology of the letters on the cylinder seals parallels that of existing early alphabetic writing systems.
Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/worlds-oldest-alphabet-discovered