A team of archaeologists from Johns Hopkins University, led by Glenn Schwartz, has presented new evidence of alphabetic writing based on the study of clay cylinders found 20 years ago in a Bronze Age tomb in Syria.
Scientists have claimed that these could be the earliest examples of letter-based writing. This is a revolutionary discovery as it brings forward the date previously considered to be the time of the first recorded evidence of writing by around 500 years, bringing forward its invention by around 500 years earlier than previously estimated, placing it in Egypt around 1900 BC.
Schwartz claims the cylinders, found at the Umm el-Marra site, date back to 2300 BC and show early alphabetic symbols, challenging mainstream theory.
Found in an intact tomb along with gold jewelry, weapons and pottery, the artifacts feature repeated symbols that Schwartz says could represent letters of the early alphabet. The cylinders, perforated at their ends, would have served as labels to identify objects or owners.
However, the proposal faced some skepticism in the academic community, as many felt that longer inscriptions and additional evidence were needed to confirm that the symbols were indeed part of an alphabet.