Archaeologists find ‘missing link’ in Alphabet's history in Israeli excavations

Archaeologists at the Austrian Academy of Sciences have found significant early examples of the alphabet at Tel Lachish, Israel, that dates back to 1450 BC. In new research published on April 15 in the Austrian Academy of Sciences journal, the findings show that the alphabet was not introduced by the conquering Egyptians, as was previously thought, to the Levant. The findings from the Israeli excavation site, also revealed in the journal Antiquity state that the Alphabets from the Bronze Age, in fact, first developed in the Sinai peninsular, around 1800 BC and eventually spread to the Levant around 1300 BC. “From there, it began to spread around the Mediterranean, eventually developing into the Greek and Latin alphabets,” the archaeologists at the site said. The evidence of the emergence of the alphabet in the Sinai and its arrival in the Levant had lacked previously. The excavators have now unearthed the first example to support the origin. 

[Map of Lachish, with the excavation areas indicated. Credit: Austrian Academy of Sciences journal]

“This sherd is one of the earliest examples of early alphabetic writing found in Israel,” said Felix Höflmayer from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and lead author of the research. 

The evidence was found by the Austrian archaeological team at the site of Tel Lachish in the Shephelah region, in modern-day Israel and the findings were also simultaneously published in Cambridge University Press. According to the study, Israel’s Tel Lachish was an important settlement mentioned in ancient Egyptian documents and was a key hub of activity, with imports from Egypt, Cyprus, and the Aegean. Archaeologists found the evidence near one of the several monumental structures. “The pottery fragment itself is just under 4 cm tall and appears to have been part of the rim of an imported Cypriot bowl. The inner surface is inscribed in dark ink, preserving a handful of letters written diagonally,” the scientists said, after a detailed analysis of the sample found. 

[Early Late Bronze Age fortification, with the southern wall of building. Credit: Austrian Academy of Sciences journal]

Finding key for Alphabet’s historical origin

Early Alphabets are similar to the Egyptian hieroglyphs, and the fragmentary nature of the sherd makes its translation difficult. Researchers say that the word most likely spelled out as ‘slave’, someone’s name or ‘nectar’ or ‘honey’. “Whilst the meaning of the inscription may be unknown, it still has a dramatic impact on our understanding of the alphabet’s history,” archaeologists from the site said. “Its mere presence leads us to rethink the emergence and the proliferation of the early alphabet in the Near East,” lead author of the research Höflmayer elaborated. The proliferation of the early alphabet was usually dated to the 14th or 13th century BC and was passed on to the southern Levant. It was previously believed to be a part of the Egyptian domination of the region, but the newly discovered sherd shows it was introduced independently and earlier. However, further excavations at the site might reveal more details about the history of the alphabet. 

[Plan of stratum. Credit: Austrian Academy of Sciences journal]

[Early alphabetic inscription on a White Slip II rim sherd. Credit: Austrian Academy of Sciences]