In 1999, John and Deborah Darnell, American Egyptologists, discovered an earlier version of this first alphabet at the Wadi el-Hol valley in Egypt.
ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti nˈaɪn, dʒˈɑːn ænd dˈɛbɚɹə dɑːɹnˈɛl, ɐmˈɛɹɪkən ˌiːdʒɪptˈɑːlədʒˌɪsts, dɪskˈʌvɚd ɐn ˈɜːlɪɚ vˈɜːʒən ʌv ðɪs fˈɜːst ˈælfəbˌɛt æt ðə wˈɑːdi ˌɛlhˈɑːl vˈæli ɪn ˈiːdʒɪpt.