________________
ORIGIN OF ALPHABET
Ugarit Cuneiform Alphabet
An epoch-making discovery was made by C. F. A. Schaeffer, G. Chenet and Ch. Virolleaud in 1929 and the following years at Ras Shamrah, the ancient Ugarit, on the Syrian coast opposite the most easterly cape of Cyprus. At that site, clay-tablets were found, which proved to be 25 45.81)
1 44a
3
4
8
H
"T
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II '4-'0 21 of 4
44
Byblos
Archaic
Alphabet 7
Byblos
Alphabet
ه.
L
2
b
mr
- Loom,
3
10
7
12
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Her
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13 of t
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務。
N
15-k
201
9
16 1
742
ל
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9
4HL
40
d
D
> F
14 900-20
19
20
ช 4
7
# ん
nofi
0
"
Xx4
y
23 P 31 ž (j)
24 I
y
$'
2
O 7
st 28 sh
$1
#4 N
26149
エ
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29(5)
303740 E(1)
320
E
无人
29
ts
9.
203
2
4
4
+
e
th y
2 Y
Z v
w +
w +
sh L
P
Fig. 104
1, The Ugarit cuneiform alphabet (15th-13th century B.c.)
2, Dunand's theory of the derivation of the alphabet from the pseudohieroglyphic script of Byblos: (t) "Linear" variety of the same script 3. The "incunable" of the alphabet according to Dunand
3
documents of inestimable value in many fields of research such as epigraphy, philology and history of religion. The documents are written in a hitherto unknown cuneiform-alphabet of 32 letters (Fig. 103, 104, 1), and were deciphered by H. Bauer, E. Dhorme and Ch. Virolleaud.
The Ugarit script consists of single cuneiform signs, having no
