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Definition
Etruscan Language
The language of the Etruscans, like the people themselves, has remained somewhat mysterious and has yet to be fully understood. The alphabet used a western Greek script, but the language has presented difficulties to scholars because it is...
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Greek Alphabet
Modern version of the Greek alphabet.
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The Development of Slavonic Literacy & the Cyrillic Alphabet - The Cultural Transformation of Eastern Europe, c. 863-900
The missions of Saints Cyril and Methodius transformed the religious and cultural development of Central and Eastern Europe during the 9th century. Sent by Michael III (reign 842-867) from the Eastern Roman Empire (“Byzantine Empire”) to...
Definition
Arslan Tash Amulet
Dated to the 7th century BCE, the Arslan Tash amulet (AT1) was discovered in Arslan Tash, Syria and contains the writing of Phoenician, magic incantations. The limestone plaque includes a variety of features: incantations perceived to prevent...
Definition
Carthaginian Religion
Carthage was founded by the Phoenician city of Tyre in the 9th century BCE, and along with many other cultural practices, the city adopted aspects of the religion of its founding fathers. Polytheistic in nature, such important Phoenician...
Definition
Mesrop Mashtots
Mesrop Mashtots (360/370 - c. 440 CE) invented the Armenian alphabet in 405 CE. Besides greatly increasing levels of literacy in the country, the language permitted ordinary people to read the Bible for the first time, thus helping to further...
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Map of the Phoenician Trade and Colonization, c.1100-600 BCE - Trade, Colonies & Maritime Networks Across the Mediterranean
Between c. 1100 and 600 BCE, the Phoenician city-states of the Levant, especially Tyre, Sidon, Byblos, and Arwad, developed one of the ancient Mediterranean’s most dynamic maritime trading systems. Rather than expanding through unified territorial...
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Aramaic Alphabet written in Cuneiform Signs
This is a classroom experiment. As Babylon grew, the language spoken on its streets changed. This remarkable tablet captures interaction between the age-old cuneiform writing for Babylonian Akkadian and the alphabetic Aramaic that ultimately...
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Monument to Armenian Alphabet at Oshakan
Mesrop Mashtots (c. 362-440 CE) is credited with the creation of the Armenian alphabet around 405 CE. Originally, the Armenian alphabet had 36 letters, but it presently has 39. It is read from left to right, and it is one of the older alphabetic...
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Etruscan & Phoenician Inscriptions
Gold sheet plaques from Pygri, the port of Etruscan Cerveteri. In both the Etruscan and Phoenician alphabet they describe the separation of a space dedicated in the temple there for Astarte. c. 500 BCE (Museo di Villa Giulia, Rome)