Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have uncovered the world’s oldest known alphabetic script, dating to approximately 2,400 BCE, during an excavation in Syria. The discovery, presented at a recent archaeology conference, sheds new light on the early development of written language.

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• Archaeologists found alphabetic symbols etched on finger-length clay cylinders in a tomb in Syria.
• The artifacts date back to the early Bronze Age, around 2,400 BCE, confirmed via carbon-14 dating.
• This discovery predates earlier known examples of alphabetic writing by nearly 500 years.
• The finding challenges the belief that alphabets originated in Egypt after 1900 BCE.
• Presented at the American Society of Overseas Research’s annual meeting by Prof. Glenn Schwartz.
• Schwartz noted that alphabets democratized writing, making it accessible to non-elites.
• The discovery could rewrite the history of how humans developed written communication.
• Symbols indicate a potential evolutionary origin of alphabetic systems beyond Egypt.
• Researchers stress further study is needed to decode the symbols and verify their use.