The Greek Alphabet and Its Surprising Connection to Egyptian Hieroglyphics

Disir

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Sep 30, 2011
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While the history of the alphabet of a particular language may not be of interest to many, it was quite significant to the Greeks. Lots of ancient Greek records contain stories about how they got their alphabet. It was the subject of myth and legend. What exactly did these legends claim about the origin of the alphabet, though? And how do these claims compare with modern discoveries?

Where did the ancient Greeks think their alphabet came from?​

The earliest known record of the origin of the Greek alphabet is from Herodotus. He claimed that a prince from Phoenicia named Cadmus, arrived in Greece. He introduced the Greeks to their alphabet, who then adapted it for their own linguistic purposes.

In other words, the Greek alphabet was believed to be an adaptation of the Phoenician alphabet. This was the claim of Herodotus, and the theory is repeated in various other ancient Greek records after him.

I have come cross this topic multiple times recently. It went from Phoenicia to Egypt to Greece. It was Greece that said....I'd like to buy a vowel. This is the first time that I have seen claims that it went from Egypt to Phoenicia to Greece.
 
Modern Greek is not the same as ancient Greek.
The pronunciation of Ancient Greek was very different from that of Modern Greek. Ancient Greek had long and short vowels; many diphthongs; double and single consonants; voiced, voiceless, and aspirated stops; and a pitch accent. In Modern Greek, all vowels and consonants are short.
 
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Where did the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Mayans, and others acquire their alphabets?

*****SMILE*****



:)
 
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Where did the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Mayans, and others acquire their alphabets?

*****SMILE*****



:)

I don't know.

I have encountered this only a couple of times because Greece was my primary focus and I am hoping that I can get back to dedicate some time to the Phoenicians at some point.
Proto-Sinaitic script - Wikipedia

I have minimum knowledge of the Mayans.
 

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