Hieroglyphic Labels of Tomb U-j at Abydos — Possible Birth of Egyptian Writing
תוויות הירוגליפיות מאבידוס
Author: Scribes du roi Scorpion I (?) — anonymes
Date: c. 3320 av. J.-C.
Preservation: Musée égyptien du Caire ; Institut archéologique allemand du Caire (DAI)
deposited on May 1, 2026 · History register · custodian, not owner
❧ Description
Discovered in 1988 by Günter Dreyer in tomb U-j at Abydos — attributed to a predynastic king possibly named Scorpion I — about 200 inscribed bone, ivory and wood labels (each ~2 cm), datable c. 3320 BCE, may represent the earliest known Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. They accompanied imported jars and indicate origin, quality, ownership. They rival the proto-cuneiform tablets of Uruk IV for the title of the world's earliest writing system.
In history
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English
Discovered in 1988 by Günter Dreyer in tomb U-j at Abydos — attributed to a predynastic king possibly named Scorpion I — about 200 inscribed bone, ivory and wood labels (each ~2 cm), datable c. 3320 BCE, may represent the earliest known Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. They accompanied imported jars and indicate origin, quality, ownership. They rival the proto-cuneiform tablets of Uruk IV for the title of the world's earliest writing system.