diff --git a/YamlDotNet.Test/Serialization/SerializationTests.cs b/YamlDotNet.Test/Serialization/SerializationTests.cs
index 5b78d43f9..2851dfa2d 100644
--- a/YamlDotNet.Test/Serialization/SerializationTests.cs
+++ b/YamlDotNet.Test/Serialization/SerializationTests.cs
@@ -243,19 +243,6 @@ public void DeserializeConvertible()
             result.aaa.Should().Be("[hello, world]");
         }
 
-        [Fact]
-        public void DeserializationOfObjectsHandlesForwardReferences()
-        {
-            var text = Lines(
-                "Nothing: *forward",
-                "MyString: &forward ForwardReference");
-
-            var result = Deserializer.Deserialize<Example>(UsingReaderFor(text));
-
-            result.ShouldBeEquivalentTo(
-                new { Nothing = "ForwardReference", MyString = "ForwardReference" }, o => o.ExcludingMissingMembers());
-        }
-
         [Fact]
         public void DeserializationFailsForUndefinedForwardReferences()
         {
@@ -521,30 +508,6 @@ public void DeserializeExplicitList()
                 .Subject.As<IList<int>>().Should().Equal(3, 4, 5);
         }
 
-        [Fact]
-        public void DeserializationOfGenericListsHandlesForwardReferences()
-        {
-            var text = Lines(
-                "- *forward",
-                "- &forward ForwardReference");
-
-            var result = Deserializer.Deserialize<string[]>(UsingReaderFor(text));
-
-            result.Should().Equal(new[] { "ForwardReference", "ForwardReference" });
-        }
-
-        [Fact]
-        public void DeserializationOfNonGenericListsHandlesForwardReferences()
-        {
-            var text = Lines(
-                "- *forward",
-                "- &forward ForwardReference");
-
-            var result = Deserializer.Deserialize<ArrayList>(UsingReaderFor(text));
-
-            result.Should().Equal(new[] { "ForwardReference", "ForwardReference" });
-        }
-
         [Fact]
         public void RoundtripList()
         {
@@ -622,47 +585,6 @@ public void RoundtripDictionary()
             result.Should().Equal(obj);
         }
 
-        [Fact]
-        public void DeserializationOfGenericDictionariesHandlesForwardReferences()
-        {
-            var text = Lines(
-                "key1: *forward",
-                "*forwardKey: ForwardKeyValue",
-                "*forward: *forward",
-                "key2: &forward ForwardReference",
-                "key3: &forwardKey key4");
-
-            var result = Deserializer.Deserialize<Dictionary<string, string>>(UsingReaderFor(text));
-
-            result.Should().Equal(new Dictionary<string, string> {
-                { "ForwardReference", "ForwardReference" },
-                { "key1", "ForwardReference" },
-                { "key2", "ForwardReference" },
-                { "key4", "ForwardKeyValue" },
-                { "key3", "key4" }
-            });
-        }
-
-        [Fact]
-        public void DeserializationOfNonGenericDictionariesHandlesForwardReferences()
-        {
-            var text = Lines(
-                "key1: *forward",
-                "*forwardKey: ForwardKeyValue",
-                "*forward: *forward",
-                "key2: &forward ForwardReference",
-                "key3: &forwardKey key4");
-
-            var result = Deserializer.Deserialize<Hashtable>(UsingReaderFor(text));
-
-            result.Should().BeEquivalentTo(
-                Entry("ForwardReference", "ForwardReference"),
-                Entry("key1", "ForwardReference"),
-                Entry("key2", "ForwardReference"),
-                Entry("key4", "ForwardKeyValue"),
-                Entry("key3", "key4"));
-        }
-
         [Fact]
         public void DeserializeListOfDictionaries()
         {
@@ -1591,6 +1513,38 @@ public void DeserializationOfStreamWithDuplicateAnchorsSucceeds()
             Assert.NotNull(deserialized);
         }
 
+        private sealed class AnchorPrecedence
+        {
+            internal sealed class AnchorPrecedenceNested
+            {
+                public string b1 { get; set; }
+                public Dictionary<string, string> b2 { get; set; }
+            }
+
+            public string a { get; set; }
+            public AnchorPrecedenceNested b { get; set; }
+            public string c { get; set; }
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void DeserializationWithDuplicateAnchorsSucceeds()
+        {
+            var sut = new Deserializer();
+            var deserialized = sut.Deserialize<AnchorPrecedence>(@"
+a: &anchor1 test0
+b:
+  b1: &anchor1 test1
+  b2:
+    b21:  &anchor1 test2
+c:  *anchor1");
+
+            Assert.Equal("test0", deserialized.a);
+            Assert.Equal("test1", deserialized.b.b1);
+            Assert.Contains("b21", deserialized.b.b2.Keys);
+            Assert.Equal("test2", deserialized.b.b2["b21"]);
+            Assert.Equal("test2", deserialized.c);
+        }
+
         [Fact]
         public void SerializeExceptionWithStackTrace()
         {
@@ -1818,6 +1772,18 @@ public void AnchorNameWithTrailingColonReferencedInKeyCanBeDeserialized()
             Assert.Equal(@"anchor "" value """, deserialized["myvalue"]);
         }
 
+        [Fact]
+        public void AliasBeforeAnchorCannotBeDeserialized()
+        {
+            var sut = new Deserializer();
+            Action action = () => sut.Deserialize<GenericTestDictionary<string, string>>(@"
+a: *anchor1
+b: &anchor1 test0
+c: *anchor1");
+
+            action.ShouldThrow<AnchorNotFoundException>();
+        }
+
         [Fact]
         public void AnchorWithAllowedCharactersCanBeDeserialized()
         {
diff --git a/YamlDotNet/Serialization/ValueDeserializers/AliasValueDeserializer.cs b/YamlDotNet/Serialization/ValueDeserializers/AliasValueDeserializer.cs
index 5cdfab3af..07b619bd1 100644
--- a/YamlDotNet/Serialization/ValueDeserializers/AliasValueDeserializer.cs
+++ b/YamlDotNet/Serialization/ValueDeserializers/AliasValueDeserializer.cs
@@ -104,8 +104,7 @@ public ValuePromise(object? value)
                 var aliasState = state.Get<AliasState>();
                 if (!aliasState.TryGetValue(alias.Value, out var valuePromise))
                 {
-                    valuePromise = new ValuePromise(alias);
-                    aliasState.Add(alias.Value, valuePromise);
+                    throw new AnchorNotFoundException(alias.Start, alias.End, $"Alias ${alias.Value} cannot precede anchor declaration");
                 }
 
                 return valuePromise.HasValue ? valuePromise.Value : valuePromise;