Language/Ancient-greek-to-1453/Grammar/Ancient-Greek-Alphabet

The Ancient Greek Alphabet (Αρχαίο ελληνικό αλφάβητο)

Hello Ancient Greek learners,

Here is a lesson on how to use the Ancient Greek Alphabet.

The Ancient Greek alphabet is one of the earliest alphabets in the world, and it has a long and fascinating history. It was first used in the 8th century BCE, and it quickly became the writing system for the ancient Greek language.

Over time, it underwent several modifications and eventually evolved into the modern Greek alphabet that is used today. Despite these changes, the Ancient Greek alphabet still holds an important place in history, as it was used to write some of the most famous works of Greek literature, such as the works of Homer and the epic poem "The Iliad".

It is interesting to note that the Greeks were the first Europeans to write an alphabet. Previous writing systems had been either syllabic or pictographic.

The Greek alphabets of alpha and beta are familiar to Indian students. The first three letters of the Greek alphabet are ABΓ.

The Greek alphabet began making its appearance after the Dark Ages. The first vowel letters were Α (alpha), Ε (epsilon), Ι (iota), Ο (omicron), and Υ (upsilon). Greek also introduced three new consonant letters, Φ (phi), Χ (chi) and Ψ (psi), appended to the end of the alphabet as they were developed.

The Ancient Greek alphabet consisted of 24 letters, each with a corresponding name, sound, and symbol. Some of the letters were derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, while others were created specifically for the Greek language. The letters were written either in capital letters or in small letters, and the writing was typically done on papyrus or parchment scrolls.

The Greece alphabet has two main branches. They were the Ionic and the Chalcidian. The Ionic or eastern, form was adopted by Athens and became what we know today as the classical Greek alphabet. The Chalcidian or, western form, gave rise to the Etruscan alphabet that forms the basis of the Latin or a Roman alphabet that we use today.

The Ancient Greek alphabet was not just used for writing Greek, but also for mathematical and scientific purposes. In fact, the Greek word for alphabet is "αλφάβητος" (alphabêtos), which means "a system for expressing numbers". This reflects the importance of the alphabet in mathematical and scientific pursuits in ancient Greece.

One of the most notable aspects of the Ancient Greek alphabet is its influence on other alphabets and writing systems. The Etruscan, Latin, and Cyrillic alphabets, among others, were all influenced by the Greek alphabet. Additionally, the Greek alphabet was used as the basis for the development of many scientific and mathematical symbols, such as the Greek letter π (pi), which represents the mathematical constant.

capital	lowercase	combinations	name	Britannica preferred	alternatives	approximate Classical Attic pronunciation
Α	α, α*		alpha	a		are
		αι		ae in proper nouns, ai in common words	e	ice
		αυ		au		now
Β	β		beta	b		baby
Γ	γ		gamma	g		go
		γγ		ng		angle
		γκ		nk	nc	ink
		γξ		nx		thanks
		γχ		nch	nkh	in case
Δ	δ, ∂*		delta	d		dog
Ε	ε		epsilon	e		bet
		ει		ei	e or i	day
		ευ		eu		bet + now
Ζ	ζ		zeta	z		used
Η	η		eta	ē	e	air
		ηυ		ēu	eu	airway
Θ	θ, ϑ*		theta	th		tin
Ι	ι		iota	i		even or pin
Κ	κ		kappa	c in proper nouns, k in common words		pocket
Λ	λ		lambda	l		lily
Μ	μ		mu	m		maim
Ν	ν		nu	n		not
Ξ	ξ		xi	x		ax
Ο	ο		omicron	o		German so
		οι		oe in proper nouns, oi in common words		German so + day
		ου		ou		own
Π	π		pi	p		spin
Ρ	ρ		rho	initial, rh; medial, r		rose
		ρρ		rrh		German Naturrecht
Σ	σ**		sigma	s		sand
Τ	τ		tau	t		stay
Υ	υ		upsilon	y	u	French du
		υι		ui		French concluiez
Φ	ϕ, ϕ*		phi	ph		pin
Χ	χ		chi	ch	kh	kin
Ψ	ψ		psi	ps		perhaps
Ω	ω		omega	ō	o	call

• *Old-style character.
• **Final, ç.

Sources

• Image: https://www.collegeberthelot-begles.fr/2018/04/24/sondage-4eme-enseignement-de-grec-ancien/

• http://graficnotes.blogspot.com/2012/04/blog-post_19.html

• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabet_latin#Alphabet_antique

• http://www.ancientgreecefacts.com/greek-alphabet/

• ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA

• Anne-Marie Boxus

Author

➡ Marianthi

• Ευγενική χορηγία που στοχεύει να βοηθήσει μαθητές ή μη, απανταχού της Γης, που επιδίδονται στην εκμάθηση της ελληνικής γλώσσας!
• Contribution bénévole visant à aider les personnes, partout dans le monde, qui sont engagées dans l'apprentissage de la langue grecque !
• Voluntary contribution aimed at helping people, all over the world, who are committed to learning the Greek language! 

Other Lessons

• Endings of the third declensions
• Adverbs formed from adjectives
• The Irregular Adjectives
• Conjunctions
• Reciprocal Pronouns
• Aspect in the Ancient Greek Verb
• Interrogative Pronouns
• Plurals
• Ancient Greek Correlatives
• The Middle Voice of λύω : λύομαι