The Phoenician alphabet, developed around the 11th century BC, was a major breakthrough in writing systems. It represented consonants using symbols, each representing a single sound, and it lacked vowels. This system made it easier to learn and use compared to earlier writing systems like cuneiform or hieroglyphics, which had hundreds of complex symbols.
While it was not a true alphabet with vowels, the Phoenician alphabet laid the foundation for the development of later alphabets like the Greek and Latin alphabets, which incorporated vowels.