History and alphabet: Greek epigraphy

In ancient Greece, there were records that had the support of papyrus. These records were used for administrative, political, and sometimes even to historians of the time. Unfortunately these records no longer exist. They were destroyed. Today, we can study the inscriptions of the era are still visible today, both in fragments. On stone, marble or other materials, the Greeks were writing in a specific style. These entries can be very well preserved by us and it is the role of epigraphy that study them. Thus we can define epigraphy as the science that studies the inscriptions. We outline some aspects of this science which experts are epigraphists.

The beginnings of the ancient Greek

We must first know that the current pronunciation of ancient Greek is called Erasmian pronunciation and was invented during the Renaissance. Its purpose is to find ancient pronunciation of the time of Pericles. Modern Greek pronunciation of today has a very different, which sometimes confusing.

All entries are capitalized. The tiny Greek found today in modern Greek or in some ancient Greek writings are an invention of the Byzantines, as well as the rules of accentuation. There is no space between words, it is called scriptura continued, and there is no punctuation. It is he who reads the inscription to separate the different words.

The Greek alphabet was born probably in the eighth century BC. The Greek alphabet is imitated from the Phoenician alphabet, a Semitic language. There are many similarities when comparing the two alphabets, and there is no doubt that the additional contribution of the Greeks in the Phoenician alphabet was to introduce the vowels. The Phoenician language did not count vowel, like most Semitic languages ​​also.

The oldest Greek inscription found is the cup of Nestor, dated about 750 BCE and located on the island of Pithécusse (Bay of Naples). According to most experts, the Greek alphabet was invented to -800 result of contacts between Greek and Phoenician. The contact zones between the two peoples were numerous and the most probable is that the counter of Al Mina in northern Lebanon. Followed Cyprus and the island of Crete, Rhodes and of course the Bay of Naples.

Originally, the Greek alphabet was an essentially literary: it was to pass the oral poetry writing stage. This is the most common argument among historians today. Also invoked a business reason: in a period of development of trade, there may have been an economic reason for the Greek merchants. Finally, the third possibility is that the need for a tool to engage the administration in the cities. To -800, the cities are born. These three reasons were able to complete.

Evolution of alphabets and pronunciation

Today, when we read ancient Greek, we have upper and lower case. We have seen that lower case is an invention of the Renaissance. In the case of epigraphy, we do not care about that case, noted to the left of this document. Right, the name of the letter and its pronunciation Erasmian. By studying ancient inscriptions, one can find additional letters and different letters in this alphabet. We must, indeed, noted that the Greek alphabet itself has evolved in ancient times, starting from an archaic alphabet with additional letters or the like Koppa digamma, to name but two. Sigma has changed shape around -440 where the bar below was added to S to sharp edges. As well as some letters theta, lambda, gamma, have changed form and we will see later in a student enrollment archaic.

Until 403 BC, the heta "H" is used to mark the suction and does not pronounce a-e, pronounced that he will later. Few hundred years later, the letter heta become the feminine article, typical of the first declension.

Example of registering archaic

Here is an inscription in ancient Greek. This is a list of people killed in the war. The inscription has been dated to 460/459 BC

Here is the transcript classical Greek alphabet:

ARISTOGENHS (first line)

KALLONIDHS (fourth line)

KALLIXENOS (fifth line)

TIMODEMOS (eighth line)

It may be noted that the archaic like a lambda L Latin and what seems a classic lambda is actually a gamma archaic.

Conclusion

The world of the ancient inscriptions is very diverse. Alphabets change from one era to another, following reforms to standardize the use of writing. Thus, starting in 440 BC, the shape of the sigma exchange. These reforms, apparently complicating the work of the inscriptions, in the end prove to be a source of dating more than interesting to historians who can place the text at a time.

The second part will be devoted to deciphering stoikedon type tablets.