The origin of the Greek alphabet

2800 years later, still alive

Alpha, beta, omicron... These three words bring to mind whiffs of hydroalcoholic gel and the feel of a mask on the face. Indeed, the covid variants were named using Greek letters. Yet this alphabet was already used in common parlance.

Everyone has heard of this (since disproved) principle of "male alpha" in both wolves and humans. The gamma rays feed science and science fiction. As for stubborn people, we know they won't budge one iota, another Greek character. Well, not totally Hellenic.

In fact, the Greek people would have taken over the Phoenician alphabet, the oldest known to historians to date. These people formed characters based on the elements of their daily lives: a door, a buffalo, a house, etc. Then, through commercial exchanges with the Greeks, the latter adopted it, adjusted it and added the vowels, absent from the model coming from Phoenicia. It will spread in Italy to create the Etruscan alphabet and eventually, Latin.

However, the Greek alphabet still survives thanks to science; scientists then and now still consider it useful and accurate.

Time: 4 minutes