The Greek Alphabet: A Century Older Than Believed?

The aboriginal Greek alphabet painted connected the assemblage of an Attic black-figure cup. Credit: Marsyas /wikimedia commons CC BY 2.5

The Greek alphabet, traditionally believed to person emerged successful the eighth period BC, is present undergoing a reevaluation acknowledgment to groundbreaking probe astatine Leiden University.

Associate Professor Willemijn Waal’s probe aims to research whether the Greek alphabet mightiness beryllium centuries older, initially recorded connected perishable materials.

“In the 1930s, the prevailing mentation was of an ‘alphabetic bang,'” explains Waal. “It was thought that successful the eighth period BC, the Greek alphabet arsenic we cognize it contiguous swiftly developed, spread, and diverged into different alphabets similar those utilized successful Anatolia and Italy, yet starring to the Latin script.”

Carbon dating whitethorn assistance find the origins

However, caller findings suggest a much gradual improvement and dissemination of the Greek alphabet. Carbon dating, a cardinal instrumentality successful archaeological research, has revealed that the earliest Greek inscriptions recovered connected pottery day backmost to the ninth oregon adjacent tenth period BC, pushing its origins backmost by astatine slightest a century.

Moreover, the oldest surviving inscriptions are apt not the archetypal texts ever written successful the Greek alphabet, arsenic alphabetic scripts were typically recorded connected little durable materials similar papyrus and wood, which seldom past implicit millennia.

This reevaluation challenges the conception of a agelong “Dark Age” successful Greece without alphabetic penning for astir 4 centuries. It besides prompts a reconsideration of past literacy successful the Aegean portion and perchance revises our knowing of taste milestones similar Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.

These epic poems, antecedently believed to person been orally transmitted for centuries earlier being written down successful the eighth period BC, whitethorn person been influenced by earlier alphabetic traditions.

Waal’s anticipation for her upcoming probe is mixed with apprehension. “The longstanding content that some the Greek alphabet and Homer originated successful the eighth period BC has been wide accepted for astir a century,” she reflects.

“Challenging this established cognition volition apt look resistance. Yet, questioning and evolving our knowing is what drives technological discovery—it’s wherever the excitement lies. Science is simply a continuous travel of learning.”

In essence, Waal’s probe promises to unravel long-held assumptions astir ancient Greek civilization and the improvement of written language, opening caller avenues for knowing the origins and improvement of 1 of history’s astir influential alphabets.

Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet

According to ancient Greek historians, the Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet after the accomplishment of a Phoenician prince named Cadmus. The Phoenician alphabet was composed of lone consonants. When the Greeks adopted it, they modified it to see vowels as well. This was a large measurement guardant successful the improvement of writing.

According to Plutarch, a Greek historiographer of the archetypal period CE, determination were primitively sixteen Greek letters. However, Hyginus, an earlier writer, reports that determination were primitively eighteen.

In reality, it appears that neither mentation is correct. Physical grounds successful the signifier of past inscriptions reveals that the earliest Greek inscriptions made usage of each twenty-two letters successful the Phoenician alphabet. However, 4 of these were for sounds which did not beryllium successful Greek, truthful they were modified into vowels.

Related: The Lost Letters of the Greek Alphabet