The
Phoenician alphabet, called by convention the
Proto-Canaanite alphabet for inscriptions older than around 1050 BC, is the oldest verified
alphabet. The Phoenician alphabet contains 22 letters, all of which are
consonants, and is described as an
abjad, with
matres lectionis being used for some
vowels in certain late varieties. It was used for the writing of
Phoenician, a Northern
Semitic language, used by the civilization of
Phoenicia.