P. Kyle McCarter

LETTER MIX-UP? The alphabet carved right-to-left on the tenth century B.C.E. stone Tel Zayit abecedary has the same letter reversal as the Izbet Sartah abecedary; that is, instead of the familiar ayin (o)/pe (p) order, it shows pe/ayin. Author Mitchell First says this is not simply the result of an inexperienced scribe making a mistake.