Who on Earth Invented the Alphabet?

Abstract

There is neither record of nor reference to the invention of the alphabet in any known source. That in itself may say something about the invention—that it probably did not take place in the scribal community. The alphabet grew out of the syllabaries which precede it, of which the most widespread were cuneiform and hieroglyphics. It probably emerged from the commercial communities of the ancient Near East but owed its consonatal principle to the Egyptians. A Canaanite in north Syria around 1800 B.c. is the most likely inventor, and the city of Ebla is taken as a hypothesis. The early Mesopotamian scribal tradition of which Ebla was part is outlined. Opinions about how the alphabet was invented are considered, concluding that it was probably a single "giant leap," and by one man. The inventor’s necessary background, creation of letter shapes, the writing medium and direction of script are reviewed. For the tricky problem of initial acceptance and diffusion, for which these is no evidence, a possibility is postulated. At the end, the whole process is encapsulated in a brief story.