Greek Alphabet May Be Centuries Older Than Previously Believed, Says Researcher

The Greek alphabet, agelong believed to person emerged successful the 8th period BC, whitethorn really beryllium centuries older, according to caller probe led by Associate Professor Willemijn Waal.

Backed by a prestigious Vici grant, Waal volition research whether the earliest Greek penning whitethorn person archetypal appeared connected perishable materials arsenic aboriginal arsenic the 10th period BC.

“For decades, scholars person supported the thought of an ‘alphabetic bang’ — a abrupt emergence of the Greek alphabet successful the 8th period BC that rapidly gave emergence to different scripts, including Anatolian and Italic alphabets,” Waal explained. “These, successful turn, influenced the Latin alphabet we usage today.”

However, caller findings suggest a much gradual evolution. Advanced radiocarbon (C14) dating techniques person revealed that immoderate of the oldest Greek inscriptions connected pottery whitethorn beryllium astatine slightest a period older than antecedently thought. Rather than originating successful the 8th century, these inscriptions whitethorn day from the 9th oregon adjacent 10th period BC.

Crucially, Waal notes that the earliest surviving examples whitethorn not correspond the archetypal instances of Greek writing. “Alphabetic scripts were apt written connected materials similar papyrus, wood, oregon leather — each of which are acold little durable than chromatic oregon clay,” she said. “The information that these haven’t survived doesn’t mean they ne'er existed.”

If confirmed, this mentation would reshape the humanities communicative of ancient Greece. It could mean that Greece’s alleged “Dark Age,” a 400-year play believed to beryllium devoid of written connection pursuing the illness of the Mycenaean civilisation, whitethorn person been acold much literate than antecedently assumed.

This displacement successful knowing could besides interaction the survey of Homeric epics similar The Iliad and The Odyssey, which are typically believed to person been transmitted orally for centuries earlier being written down successful the 8th period BC. “If the alphabet existed earlier, it’s imaginable that penning played a relation successful preserving oregon shaping these stories overmuch sooner than we thought,” said Waal.

While excited astir the project, Waal acknowledges the contention her probe whitethorn stir. “The thought that some Homer and the Greek alphabet day to the 8th period has been world dogma for astir a century. Challenging that communicative is bound to look resistance,” she said. “But that’s the quality of subject — it’s ever evolving.”

(Source: Leiden University)