What Is The Main Specific Of The Ancient Greek Language, Alphabet, And Writing?
Since people started to exist, many civilizations took turns one after another. According to the Bible, the first human, Adam, has been made from dust and the first woman, Eve, was created from his ribs.
From that time to the present, people keep evolving physically and mentally. From the first civilizations until today, a human species never ceased to sustain itself in this world. The past civilizations have created a history to be inherited by their inheritors and it keeps transmitting from generation to generation. And today, we are witnessing dozens of remarkable events and individuals that left indelible marks in our history. Speaking of it, a country that possesses one of the most popular histories is, of course, Greece. If you say the word “ancient”, a man will be thinking either of this country or perhaps Egypt or Roman history. But we will be focusing on the ancient Greek language and writing in general and see what is the most specific thing that we remembered from it.
When Is The Oldest Greek Letter?
Ancient Greece is among the list of the most famous ages that humankind ever faced. Through its history, it has left plenty of events and things worth remembering behind her back. From the start of its existence that dates from 1500 years before Christ, it passed through a couple of ages. Therefore, the history of ancient Greek can be classified into these periods:
Mycenaean Greek (1400 to 1200 BC)
Dark Ages (1200 to 800 BC)
Archaic Period (800 to 500 BC)
Classical Period (500 to 300 BC)
Throughout all these periods, Greece has maintained its language and disallowed its vanishing. Probably many of you are asking yourself what is the oldest letter they used, right? Well, what we know today, the oldest letter of Greek is called “Pithekoussai”. There is graffiti that has been found in Eretria and Lefkandi near the end of the 8th century BC. Also, there is an artifact called “Nestor’s Cup” that has a Pithekoussai language inscribed on it. This monumental piece of history dates from the eighth century. That is the reason why today, this language is represented as the oldest Greek-letter in history.
What About Writing?
Ancient Greek language consists of multiple forms. That’s the main reason why it has been divided into numerous dialects such as Aeolic, Doric, Arcadocypriot, Ionic, and Attic. Although the most popular Greek letter is probably their alphabet, we will come to it a little later. Now, we must focus first on the writing system that was used even before it. The “Linear B-script” is what we are talking about. This script dates from several centuries before the development of the Greek alphabet. But since c.1100 BC, it has been put into oblivion and until today, humanity lost all the data about this writing system that was common for the Mycenaean age. Speaking of writing, the form that people use the most today is essays. Here you can find all the relevant information about it generally https://bestessayservicesradar.com.
The Greek Alphabet
After the disappearance of the first writing method, the Greek alphabet came to the light. It could be said that it is one of the most significant languages in our history. The same way ancient Egyptians used their hieroglyphs, Greeks used the alphabet. The first way it will be expressed is by using the Phonecian system of writing. This alphabet contains a total of 22 signs and vowels created as parts of the symbols. One of the biggest differences between the Phonecian language and the alphabet is that there is no word to be found in the Phonecian language that starts with the vowel. On the other hand, you can find plenty of words in the Greek alphabet that start with the vowel and not just with the consonant. Places, where people witnessed the recordings of the Greek alphabet firstly, were their ancient pots. The ancient Greeks manifested the alphabet in the form of graffiti. As their writing skills are incomparable to ours from today, it is the best way they could express themselves back then. The languages that are often associated with the ancient Greek alphabet are Cyrillic, and Latin at the most. It is fair to say that it is some kind of their ancestor because there are several similarities between them. The main similarity of these languages is visible in the use of only 1 form of each letter. In the modern age, this alphabet has evolved into the one we know nowadays with the use of lowercase and uppercase too. The Greek alphabet is a writing system that is used left to right. This technique was used since the beginning and it didn’t change even today. A modern alphabet consists of 24 letters. They are listed in the line from the first alpha, to the last omega. This is a version of this language that is present today. Its use can also be seen in some mathematical or scientific purposes.
Significance Of The Greek Alphabet And Facts About It
When it comes to the significance of the Greek alphabet, it is an easy thing to conclude. The main reason why its importance is huge is that it allowed the ancient Greeks to write easier a language that is not Semitic. Also, there are a few Semitic symbols that are created to represent the vowels, not only consonants as they used to be. That’s why this language is so valuable. Anyways, we will provide you some facts about the Greek alphabet that you cannot find on every website.
“Alphabet” Is Created Because Of The First 2 Letters (alpha & beta)
Words Have 3 Genders (neuter, masculine, and feminine)
Almost 12% Of English Words Are Obtained From The Greek Language
Alphabet Is The 1st Language That Used Vowels
The First Technique Of Writing Was From Right To Left But It Quickly Turned To The Opposite
Conclusion
The historical value of the Greek language and its writing is undisputed. Top essay writing services are grateful to it a lot. It positively affected many civilizations and letters that considered an alphabet as a role model. The fact that it exists for almost 3 millenniums is enough to describe how important this language is. We can just sit and hope that it will last so much more!
About The Author
Laura C. Fields is a person willing to bring the curiosity of the audience about the Greek language onto the light freely. Hopefully, it will tickle your imagination and make you learn something useful today.