Adoption of the Greek Alphabet: What Happened
Around 800 BC, the Greeks adopted the alphabet of the Phoenicians, the seafaring traders of the eastern Mediterranean, and transformed it into something new. The Phoenician script had letters only for consonants. The Greeks took some of the signs they did not need for their own language and used them for vowels, creating letters such as alpha, epsilon, iota and omicron. The result was the first true alphabet, one in which every sound of speech could be written with a small set of symbols. This was a major break from the complex scripts of the Bronze Age, such as Linear B, which had been forgotten after the fall of the Mycenaean palaces. Greece had been without writing for around four centuries. Because the new alphabet was simple enough for ordinary people to learn, writing spread beyond scribes to poets, lawmakers, merchants and citizens. It made possible the recording of Homer's epics, written laws, history and philosophy. The Greek alphabet later became the basis for the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets used by billions today.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Greeks adopt the alphabet?
The Greeks adopted the alphabet around 800 BC, after several centuries without writing following the collapse of the Mycenaean world and the loss of Linear B.
Where did the Greek alphabet come from?
The Greek alphabet was adapted from the Phoenician script, used by the seafaring traders of the eastern Mediterranean. The Greeks likely learned it through trade contacts with Phoenician merchants.
What did the Greeks add to the alphabet?
The Phoenician script had letters only for consonants. The Greeks used some unneeded signs to represent vowels, such as alpha, epsilon, iota and omicron, creating the first true alphabet.
How many letters are in the Greek alphabet?
The standard Greek alphabet has 24 letters, from alpha to omega. Early local versions varied from region to region, and Athens officially adopted the Ionian version in 403 BC.
Which alphabets come from the Greek alphabet?
The Latin alphabet, used for English and most European languages, and the Cyrillic alphabet, used for Russian and other languages, both developed from the Greek alphabet.
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