UTF-8 Greek

The Greek script is one of the oldest continuously used writing systems in the world.

It originated in Greece around 900 BCE and has been in use ever since, making it a cornerstone in the history of alphabets and literacy.

The Greek script was adapted from the Phoenician alphabet, which included mainly consonants. Greek included separate letters for vowels (Α, Ε, Ι, Ο, Υ). This was revolutionary and influenced most later alphabets.

400 BCE, the 24-letter Greek alphabet became standard (7 vowels and 17 consonants):

Α (alpha), Β (beta), Γ (gamma), Δ (delta), Ε (epsilon), Ζ (zeta) ... ... Ω (omega).

Greek letters were also used as numerals (Α = 1, Β = 2, Ι = 10, Ρ = 100).

Greek is the ancestor of several writing systems:

Latin script (used in English and most European languages).

Cyrillic script (used in Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, etc.).

All classical works by Homer, Plato, Aristotle, etc. were written in Greek script.

The Greek alphabet is one of history's most influential writing systems. It is the direct ancestor of several major scripts and has inspired others:

1. Latin Script (Roman Alphabet)

   • Origin: Derived from a western Greek variant of the Etruscan.

   • Today: Widely used alphabet in English, Spanish, French, German, etc.

2. Cyrillic Script

   • Origin: 9th century the Byzantine missionaries Cyril & Methodius. Based on Greek capitals with added letters from Glagolitics.

   • Today: Used in Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Serbian (among others), and some non-Slavic languages like Mongolian.

3. Coptic Script

   • Origin: Egypt, 2nd century. Greek letters plus a few Demotic Egyptian for additional sounds.

   • Today: Used primarily in Coptic Orthodox/Catholic liturgy.

4. Strong Influence

   • Armenian and Georgian: Independently created but conceptually and visually influenced by Greek letters.

   • Scientific & Mathematical Symbols: Greek letters (e.g., π, Σ, Ω) are standard across Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields.

UTF-8 Greek & Coptic

Hex 0370-03FF / Dec 880-1023

UTF-8 Greek Extended

Hex 1F00-1FFF / Dec 7936-8191