Still more on those 3rd-millennium alphabetic (?) inscriptions

ALPHABETIC NORTHWEST SEMITIC EPIGRAPHY? A claim that the earliest alphabet was found in Syria sparks a media maelstrom – finally. A Johns Hopkins archaeologist recycles a 20-year-old hypothesis that small clay cylinders found in an ancient tomb reset the genesis of letters by 500 years. Why are people listening now? (Gavriel Fiske, Times of Israel).

Numerous experts have expressed support, sometimes tentatively, for Schwartz and his theory. Schwartz declined an interview with The Times of Israel and would not comment further about his theories. However, a former student was willing to weigh in.

“The writing on these cylinder seals seems to me to be alphabetic writing, and I don’t really have any doubt about that,” wrote Prof. Christopher Rollston, department chair and professor of Biblical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at George Washington University, in an email exchange.

A long and informative article.

Background here and here.

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