13 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists Find the Missing Link of the Alphabet

Researchers believe that Tel Lachish pottery is the oldest of its kind found in the region, and could explain how the writing system reached the Levant from Egypt.

Archaeologists discovered 3,500-year-old alphabetic inscriptions during excavations in the ancient town of Tel Lachish in Canaan. Researchers say pottery sherd is the oldest alphabetic writing in the area.

They described this discovery as a “missing link” in the history of early alphabetical writing in the Southern Levant, a writing system to which most, if not all, alphabets can be traced.

The clay fragment, measuring just 40 millimeters by 35 millimeters, is said to have been part of a milk bowl imported from Cyprus, according to an article published in the journal Antiquity on Thursday.

While the text was hard to read on the little sherd and it was unclear which side to read it from, the researchers found that the first three letters could spell ‘bd’  for slave or part of a common Semitic personal name. The second line could read nophet, meaning honey or nectar in Hebrew, or part of an unknown name if read from the opposite direction.

They found evidence of the alphabet that developed in Sinai (a peninsula in Egypt) around 1800 BC, then spread to the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean region of West Asia) around 1300 BC.
They found evidence of the alphabet that developed in Sinai (a peninsula in Egypt) around 1800 BC, then spread to the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean region of West Asia) around 1300 BC.

The researchers concluded that the inscription helped contextualize the spread of the early alphabet in the Levant and proved that it developed independently and also developed long before Egypt ruled the region. 

‘This sherd is one of the earliest examples of early alphabetic writing found in Israel,’ said Dr. Felix Höflmayer from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and lead author of the research. (Dailymail)

‘Its mere presence leads us to rethink the emergence and the proliferation of the early alphabet in the Near East.

Related Articles

1600-Year-Old Rare Roman Glass Diatreta with Gladiator Scene Unearthed in Doclea, Montenegro

13 June 2025

13 June 2025

An extraordinary archaeological discovery has been made in the ancient Roman city of Doclea, located near Podgorica, Montenegro. During recent...

Archaeologists may have discovered lost settlement of Apancalecan in Mexico

3 August 2023

3 August 2023

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Guerrero discovered a prehistoric settlement spread across 29 hectares...

A rare 2,500-year-old marble disc, designed to protect ancient ships and ward off the evil eye discovered near Palmachim Beach

5 August 2023

5 August 2023

A rare 2,500-year-old marble disc designed to protect ancient ships and ward off the evil eye was discovered by a...

“Mosaic of the Wine Harvest” mosaic to be exhibited in November in Turkey’s Hatay

26 October 2021

26 October 2021

The mosaic depicting the grape harvest, which is considered to date from the Late Roman period, equivalent to the 5th...

Poseidon’s Trident Discovered in Lake İznik

4 May 2025

4 May 2025

The depths of Lake İznik have yielded a discovery of profound significance, instantly captivating historians and archaeologists. The recent recovery...

Beyond Roman Exaggerations: Ancient Genomes Reveal an Iron Age Society Centered on Women in Britain

5 February 2025

5 February 2025

A team of researchers led by Dr. Lara Cassidy and Professor Daniel Bradley from Trinity College Dublin has uncovered evidence...

Archaeologists reconstructing how the Assyrian army conquered the ancient Judean city of Lachish 2700 years ago

9 November 2021

9 November 2021

Archaeologists discovered how King Sennacherib’s soldiers constructed the huge siege ramp that enabled them to defeat the Lachish city 2,700...

A collection of 430 burial objects found in the tomb of a 3000-year-old Noblewoman in China

11 April 2024

11 April 2024

A tomb belonging to a noblewoman dating back about 3,000 years has been unearthed in North China’s Shanxi Province. The...

New fortification walls discovered in the ancient city of Pergamon

14 February 2022

14 February 2022

2,500-year-old fortification walls were found in the Ancient City of Pergamon (Bergama), which was included in the World Heritage List...

First Visual Evidence of the Milky Way Found in Ancient Egyptian Cosmological Vignettes

1 May 2025

1 May 2025

Did ancient Egyptians gaze upon the Milky Way and immortalize its form in their artwork? New research suggests this very...

A Celtiberian city more than 2000 years old found in Spain

16 July 2023

16 July 2023

The Polytechnic University of Madrid announced the discovery of a Roman camp and the Celtiberian city of Titiakos in the...

Egypt’s Tanis bronze figurines shed light on ancient commerce

19 July 2021

19 July 2021

A research team told that the newly discovered 3,000-year-old bronze figurines recently unearthed in Tanis, Egypt, can answer questions about...

Unusual Iron Age Female Grave Found in Pryssgården, Sweden

3 November 2024

3 November 2024

In an Iron Age cemetery in Sweden, archaeologists found a woman’s grave buried with a small needle and an iron...

Researchers able to reconstruct the development of Barbegal’s former watermills over time with the help of carbonate deposits

7 July 2024

7 July 2024

Archaeologists are faced with a difficult task: how can information be obtained about buildings or facilities of which – if...