Ägypten und die Geburt der Alphabetschrift

Hieroglyphs and cuneiform writing are more than 5,000 years old, while the first alphabetic writing called Proto-Sinaitic originated only after 2,000 B. C. in the south-western Sinai around Serabit el-Chadim between the poles of Egypt and Canaan. Foreword and introduction are followed by a short characterisation of the four discussed systems of writing of the 2nd millenium B. C. and a section on the fact that they are both a method of phonetic spelling and a graphical system of cultural identity. The next chapter deals with the area of Serabit el-Chadim as a zone of cultural contact, its temple of Hathor, and a special treaty scene. The main section of the book deals with hypotheses on the genesis of alphabetic writing, e. g. the aspects of bilingualism, determination of language, significance of names, adoption of signs, relationship image-text, variance and standardisation of signs, names and order of letters. The study ends with chapters on the archaeological remains and cultural significance of the temple workshop at Serabit, the inscribed stele at nearby Gebel Lihyan with hieroglyphical and Canaanite pictorial texts as well as an outlook, glossary, and bibliography.