Alphabets uwu

Alphabets

A set of visual symbols or characters used to represent the elementary sounds of a spoken language.

Cretan pictographs

Picture symbols used by the Minoan civilization as early as 2800 BCE.

Phoenician alphabet

An early alphabetic writing system used by the Phoenicians, consisting of twenty-two characters.

Ras Shamra script

A true Semitic alphabetical script found on clay tablets inscribed around 1500 BCE, using thirty cuneiform-like characters.

Sinaitic script

An achrophonic adaptation of hieroglyphics designed by Semitic workers in Egyptian turquoise mines around 1500 BCE.

Phaistos Disk

A flat terra-cotta disk from Crete, 16.5 centimeters (6 inches) in diameter, with pictographic and seemingly alphabetic forms imprinted on both sides.

Alpha

The first letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Ox'.

Beta

The second letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'House'.

Gamma

The third letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Camel'.

Delta

The fourth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Folding door'.

Epsilon

The fifth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Lattice window'.

Zeta

The sixth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Weapon'.

Theta

The eighth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Fence, Barrier'.

Iota

The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Hand'.

Kappa

The tenth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Bent Hand'.

Lambda

The eleventh letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Ox-goad'.

Mu

The twelfth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Water'.

Nu

The thirteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Fish'.

Xi

The fourteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Prop (?)'.

Ou

The fifteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Eye'.

Pei

The sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Mouth'.

Rho

The seventeenth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Head'.

Sigma

The eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Tooth'.

Tau

The nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Mark'.

Koppa

The twentieth letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Eye of needle (?)'.

Xei

The twenty-first letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Prop (?)'.

Shin

The twenty-second letter of the Greek alphabet, meaning 'Tooth'.

Papyrus

Ancient writing material made from reeds.

North Semitic Writing

Historical ancestor of early alphabet scripts.

Phoenician Alphabet

Early alphabet influencing Greek and Roman scripts.

Aramaic Alphabet

Twenty-two letter script written right to left.

Hebrew Alphabet

Derived from Aramaic; consists of 22 consonants.

Arabic Alphabet

Includes 22 consonants plus additional characters.

Kufic Script

Bold, angular Arabic characters admired for aesthetics.

Naskhi Script

Cursive Arabic style for writing on papyrus.

Square Hebrew Alphabet

Evolved from Aramaic; used in modern Hebrew.

Consonantal Sounds

Basic sounds represented by letters in alphabets.

Diacritical Marks

Symbols added to letters for pronunciation clarity.

Old Hebrew Alphabet

Earliest form of Hebrew, dating around 1000 BCE.

Babylonian Exile

Period when Israelites were displaced to Babylon.

Greek Alphabet

Adapted from Phoenician; introduced vowel characters.

Cadmus of Miletus

Mythical figure credited with bringing alphabet to Greece.

Cultural Renaissance

Period of significant cultural achievements in Greece.

Sanskrit Writing

Features horizontal and vertical structures in letters.

Right to Left Writing

Direction of writing in Hebrew and Arabic scripts.

Heavy Horizontal Strokes

Characteristic of Aramaic writing style.

Vertical Ascenders

Tall strokes in Arabic letters enhancing visual rhythm.

Qur'an

Holy book of Islam, written in Arabic.

Calligraphy

Art of beautiful handwriting, highly valued in Islam.

Influence of Aramaic

Led to development of Hebrew and Arabic scripts.

Ancient Inscriptions

Earliest examples of written language found in artifacts.

Character Connection

Arabic letters connect differently based on word position.

Graphic Forms

Visual representations of letters in various scripts.

Myth and Oral History

Traditions blending fact and fiction in ancient narratives.

Vowel Indicators

Marks added to letters to denote vowel sounds.

Indian Alphabets

Developed for diverse spoken languages in India.

Boustrophedon

Writing style alternating direction per line.

Uncials

Rounded script allowing faster writing, emerged 2nd century CE.

Greek Democracy

System where majority votes determine laws.

Votive Stele

Inscribed stone dedicated to deities, showcasing Greek design.

Greek Manuscripts

Written works on papyrus, often fragile and limited.

Etruscan Alphabet

Derived from Greek, influenced Latin script development.

Latin Alphabet

Adopted from Etruscans, became dominant in Western writing.

Roman Empire

Expanded from a village to a vast empire.

Horace

Poet who noted Greek influence on Roman culture.

Greek Influence

Spread through Roman conquest, affecting art and literature.

Scribes

Writers who used specific tools for different scripts.

Stone Carvers

Artisans who creatively designed Greek letterforms.

Greek Culture

Flourished during the golden age, around 500 BCE.

Political Unity

Achieved by Athens, forming a unified city-state.

Archons

Chief magistrates in Athens, elected for one-year terms.

Alphabet Prototypes

Greek alphabet served as a model for future scripts.

Hermes

Greek god depicted in archaic scaraboid seals.

Cyrillic Alphabet

Developed from Greek, used in Slavic languages.

Visual Order

Balanced arrangement of letters in Greek inscriptions.

Greek Tokens

Used for public official selection in city-states.

Juror's Ballots

Voting tools indicating 'guilty' or 'not guilty'.

Letterforms

Shapes of letters influenced by cultural practices.

Greek Sculptures

Freestanding art pieces that emerged in classical period.

Greek Letters Y and Z

Added to Latin alphabet post-Roman conquest of Greece.

Contemporary English Alphabet

Contains twenty-six letters, evolved from Latin.

Letter J

Derived from I, indicates consonant sound usage.

Letters U and W

Variants of V, differentiated vowel and consonant sounds.

Ligature

Joining of two letters, as seen in W's formation.

Greek City-State Democracy

Citizens voted in assemblies, orators held influence.

Allotment Tokens

Used for selecting citizens for public service.

Metal Ballots

Enabled secret voting for jurors in Greece.

Signature Seals

Stamped designs for document authorization in Greece.

Hellenistic Culture

Spread by Alexander the Great across ancient world.

Libraries in Alexandria

Major library with hundreds of thousands of scrolls.

Papyrus Scroll Dimensions

Typically 10.5 meters long, 24 cm high.

Flush-Left Text Layout

Text aligned left, random right margins in scrolls.

Capitalis Monumentalis

Monumental capitals, large letterforms in Roman inscriptions.

Capitalis Quadrata

Square capitals with thick and thin strokes.

Capitalis Rustica

Rustic capitals with a staccato rhythm in writing.

Pompeii Writing

Over 1600 preserved messages under volcanic ash.

Wax Tablets

Reusable writing surfaces, inscribed with a stylus.

Parchment

Writing surface made from animal skins, durable.

Vellum

Finest parchment from newborn and unborn calves.

Codex

Revolutionary book format, replaced scrolls in use.