Back To "Phoenicia"

The discover of this alphabet did not consisted in the invention of a series of graphical signs, but in the decomposition words in simple sounds which each one is represented for an only sign. The difficulty was resolved once and for all by Phoenicians in an original form, in the beginning by the cleaning and precision of forms, by the Wright choose of simple sounds. This alphabet was composed of 22 consonats and was the direct ancestor of later alphabets: Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Arabic and Armenian.

The archaic Phoenician alphabet, that is in the origin of all actual alphabets, appeared for the first time in Biblos (Joubeil). The ancient document inscription was discovered in Akhiram and it is dated of the 13 Th century BC. The colonies established by Phoenicians, in Cyprus and in the north of Africa, and the frontiers installed in Egypt, contributed definitely to the expansion of this alphabet until territories that didn't suffered directly Phoenician influence.

Table of the Phoenician Alphabet

Phoenician				Latin (passed via Etruscans to Roman Alphabet)
Sign	Name	Meaning	Phone	Latin	History
	Aleph	Ox	A laryngeal consonent	A	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent alryngeal consonant ('), or glotal stop. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed its form, changed its name to Alpha and made the sign stand for the vowel A.
	Beth	House	B consonant	B	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent b consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and inverted/reversed its form, changed its name to Beta and made the sign stand for the consonant B.
	Gimel	Camel	G consonant	C, G	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent g consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed/curved its form, changed its name to Gamma and made the sign stand for the consonant G.
	Daleth	Door	D consonant	D	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent d consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed/curved its form, changed its name to Delta and made the sign stand for the consonant D.
	He	?	H consonant	E	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent h consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed its form, changed its name to Epsilon and made the sign stand for the vowel E.
	Waw	?	W semi- consonant	F	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent w semi- consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed/altered its form, changed its name to Digamma and made the sign stand for the semi- consonant W.
	Heth	Wall	H laryngeal consonent	H	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent h laryngeal consonent. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and removed the upper and lower bars, changed its name to Eta and made the sign stand for the consonant H.
	Yodh	Hand	Y semi- consonant	I,J	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent y semi- consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and removed its bars, changed its name to Iota and made the sign stand for the vowel I.
	Kaph	Hand	K consonant	K	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent k consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed/altered its form, changed its name to Kappa and made the sign stand for the consonant K.
	Lamedh	?	L consonant	L	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent l consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed/altered its form, changed its name to Lamda and made the sign stand for the consonant L.
	Mem	Water	M consonant	M	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent m consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician andreversed/curved its form, changed its name to M???? and made the sign stand for the consonant M.
	Nun	Fish	N consonant	N	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent n consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed/curved its form, changed its name to Nu and made the sign stand for the consonant N.
	Ayin	Eye	3 laryngeal consonant	O	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent 3 laryngeal consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician but had no use for its sound in Indo-European. They called Omikron and made the sign stand for the vowel short O.
	Pe	Mouth	P consonant	P	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent g consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed/curved its form, changed its name to Pi and made the sign stand for the consonant P.
	Qoph	Monkey	Q voiceless velar	Q	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent q voiceless velar. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and altered its form, changed its name to qoppa and but had no use for its sound in Indo-European so they used it for the sound K.
	Resh	Head	R consonant	R	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent r consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed/altered its form, changed its name to Rho and made the sign stand for the consonant R.
	Sin	Tooth	Sh consonant	S	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent sh consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed/curved its form, changed its name to Sigma and made the sign stand for the consonant S.
	Taw	Mark	T consonant	T	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent t consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and slightly altered its form, changed its name to Tau and made the sign stand for the consonant T.
	Waw	?	W semi- consonant	UV W	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent w semi- consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and altered its form, changed its name to Upsilon and made the sign stand for the vowel bare U.
	Samekh	Fish	S consonant	X	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent s consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and altered its form, changed its name to Xi and made the sign stand for the consonant X.
	Zayin	Sword	Z consonant	Z	Around 1000 B.C. this letter was used to represent z consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician as is, changed its name to Zeta and made the sign stand for the consonant Z.