World’s Oldest Alphabet Discovered In Syria

DAMASCUS, Nov 25 (Bernama-Prensa Latina) -- A team of archaeologists has found finger-long clay cylinders dating from around 2400 BC in the Tel Um Al-Mara area of eastern Aleppo province in northern Syria, reported Prensa Latina.

According to local media, the finds revealed tombs dating back to the Early Bronze Age, six skeletons, gold and silver jewellery, kitchen utensils, a spearhead, and intact pottery vessels.

Next to the pottery, the researchers found four lightly baked clay cylinders with what appeared to be alphabetical writing on them.

The writing predates other known alphabets by about 500 years, according to the team of archaeologists from Johns Hopkins University who conducted the research.

This discovery radically changed what scientists know about the origin of alphabets, and according to Glenn Schwartz, a professor of archaeology at Johns Hopkins University who discovered the clay cylinders, alphabets revolutionised writing by making it accessible to people beyond royalty and the social elite.

-- BERNAMA-PRENSA LATINA