Nabataean Script
The Nabataean language is closely related to old Arabic. The
Nabataean alphabet is related to Arabic, Aramaic, Hebrew, Kharosthi,
Phoenician, Sabaean, Samaritan, South Arabian, and Syriac. (Follow
the links above to various charts of what these scripts looked
like.) It is quite commonly accepted that the Nabataean script
was developed from Aramaic abjad during the 2nd century BC. Stone
inscriptions in the Nabataean script have been found in the various
Nabataean cities in the Negev, in Wadi Rumm, the city of Petra,
and in Meda'in Saleh. During the 4th
and 5th centuries AD, Nabataean script evolved into the Arabic
alphabet. It is written from right to left in horizontal lines
.
- The chart above was borrowed from
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/nabataean.htm Check them
out for more ancient writing systems.
