EPISODE · Jan 6, 2025 · 54 MIN
The Early Alphabet (™) in Third Millennium Syria? Or, Spelling it Out, Lightly Baked Edition
from This Week in the Ancient Near East · host thisweekintheancientneareast
Some lightly baked clay cylinders from a late third millennium tomb in Syria have alphabetic markings. They’ve got us thinking. Does this mean -the- alphabet originated hundreds of years earlier than we thought? What is -the- alphabet anyway? Why did we think we understood any of this? Who, in fact, is lightly baked in this scenario?
What this episode covers
Some lightly baked clay cylinders from a late third millennium tomb in Syria have alphabetic markings. They’ve got us thinking. Does this mean -the- alphabet originated hundreds of years earlier than we thought? What is -the- alphabet anyway? Why did we think we understood any of this? Who, in fact, is lightly baked in this scenario?
NOW PLAYING
The Early Alphabet (™) in Third Millennium Syria? Or, Spelling it Out, Lightly Baked Edition
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Mar 19, 2026 ·34m
Feb 18, 2026 ·11m
Feb 11, 2026 ·45m