History of the Alphabet
World Alphabets – quick sample
Links to an external site. – India
Links to an external site.– Maya
Heiroglyphics – Cartouche Examples
Links to an external site.– Egypt
Links to an external site.– Italy
*Other examples of world alphabets/letterforms/logographics – Egyptian
Links to an external site., Mayan Links to an external site., Sanskrit Links to an external site., Arabic Links to an external site., Thai Links to an external site., Russian Links to an external site., Chinese Links to an external site., Korean Links to an external site., Armenian
The Alphabet that we us in contemporary English has its roots in many cultures.
In particular, some heavy influences are Phoenician (~1200 B.C.)
Links to an external site., Greek (~800 B.C.) Links to an external site. and Roman (~700 B.C.)
Links to an external site. letters.
The letters we use today are closest to the Roman Alphabet. The style in which this alphabet is written has changed over time. Examples- early Roman styles (~400-500)
Links to an external site. , Carolingian miniscule (~800-1200) Links to an external site., Black Letter (~1150- 1700s)
Originally letters were written by hand, stamped or carved (and they still are today!). Developments in printing technology led to the development of more standardized type using wooden and metallic blocks. The Gutenberg Bible
Links to an external site. is considered one of the first mass produced books using carved wooden blocks that would be inked and set on to the paper.
Gutenberg Bible – History of Print
https://youtu.be/0ojyCDRc8uc?t=225
Example of Gutenberg Press
Drawing Japanese Characters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AsB3OzfiMM
Drawing Mayan Characters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt4hrjcGbDk
Aztec symbols
https://symbolikon.com/meanings/aztec-symbols-meanings/
Mayan Writing
https://www.mayaarchaeologist.co.uk/school-resources/maya-world/maya-writing-system/