| Ahiram sarcophagus | |
|---|---|
 The Sarcophagus of Ahiram in its current location (Lebanon). | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Writing | Phoenician language |
| Created | c. 1000 BC |
| Discovered | 1923 |
| Present location | National Museum of Beirut |
| Identification | KAI 1 |
The Ahiram sarcophagus (also spelled Ahirom, 𐤀𐤇𐤓𐤌 in Phoenician) was the sarcophagus of a Phoenician King of Byblos (c. 1000 BC), discovered in 1923 by the French excavator Pierre Montet in tomb V of the royal necropolis of Byblos.
The sarcophagus is famed for its bas relief carvings, and its Phoenician inscription. One of five known Byblian royal inscriptions, the inscription is considered to be the earliest known example of the fully developed Phoenician alphabet.[1] The Phoenician alphabet is believed to be the parent alphabet for a wide number of the world's current writing systems; including the Greek, Latin and Cyrillic Alphabets, and the Hebrew, Arabic and Urdu Abjads. For some scholars it represents the terminus post quem of the transmission of the alphabet to Europe.[1]
Ahirom is not attested in any other Ancient Oriental source, although some scholars [who?] have suggested a possible connection to the contemporary King Hiram mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (see Hiram I).