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.
In 1999, John and Deborah Darnell, American Egyptologists, discovered an earlier version of this first alphabet at the Wadi el-Hol valley in Egypt.