When comparing ancient writing systems all over the world, we find remarkably early attestings of writing in Greece. The earliest writing system is mainly found on Crete but also in the islands of the Aegean Sea and only sporadically on the Greek mainland, the so-called Linear A (about 2,000 BC), which has not been deciphered yet. It was probably used to write a non-Greek language, the Minoan, which is probably of non-indoeuropean origin.
Another early writing system used hieroglyphic signs. It is only attested at the Disk of Phaistos (about 1,700 BC) and is still non-deciphered.
In the course of time, Linear A was given up and replaced by a similar writing system, Linear B. The latter was used to write Greek language (about 1,500 BC). Linear B was a syllabic writing system - comparable to Katakana / Hirakana in Japanese, i.e. each sign matched a syllable "consonant plus vowel" (e.g., ta, to etc.).
Finally, the alphabet was introduced to Greece in 1,000 BC by the Phoenicians. Whereas the latter was a semitic language that only used consonantic characters to write, the Greeks introduced also characters to mark vowels.
--- this article will be updated and modified soon ---
Another early writing system used hieroglyphic signs. It is only attested at the Disk of Phaistos (about 1,700 BC) and is still non-deciphered.
In the course of time, Linear A was given up and replaced by a similar writing system, Linear B. The latter was used to write Greek language (about 1,500 BC). Linear B was a syllabic writing system - comparable to Katakana / Hirakana in Japanese, i.e. each sign matched a syllable "consonant plus vowel" (e.g., ta, to etc.).
Finally, the alphabet was introduced to Greece in 1,000 BC by the Phoenicians. Whereas the latter was a semitic language that only used consonantic characters to write, the Greeks introduced also characters to mark vowels.
--- this article will be updated and modified soon ---
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