Alphabeta Antiqua (Pelasgium) - The Pelasgian Alphabet

Alphabeta Antiqua (Pelasgium) – The Pelasgian Alphabet

Tab. I, p. 64. The heading beneath the title reads:

Punicum. Pelasgium. Oscan. Arcadium. Galli antiqi. Phoenicium. Hebr. antiq. sive Samaritanum.

In English:

  • Punic (the language/alphabet of Carthage)
  • Pelasgian (a pre-Greek people mentioned in classical sources)
  • Oscan (an ancient Italic language of southern Italy)
  • Arcadian (an ancient Greek regional script)
  • Ancient Gaulish
  • Phoenician
  • Ancient Hebrew, or Samaritan

The table then compares the forms of letters across these ancient alphabets. Along the left margin appear Latin-letter equivalents:

A, B, G (Gamma), D, E, V, Z, H, Th, I, K, L, M, N, S, etc.

Each column shows how the corresponding letter was written in the different ancient scripts.

LetterPunicum/PelasgianOscanArcadianGalli antiq.Phoenician/Hebrew/Samaritan
AΛΛ ΛΛΛ Λ Λ𐤀 𐤁 𐤂 𐤃 𐤄 𐤅 𐤆 (etc.)
B𐤁 (curved)𐤁 𐤂𐤁𐤁 𐤁 𐤁𐤁 𐤂 𐤃 𐤄 …
Gh𐤂𐤂GH. Χ𐤂 𐤂
D4C. >𐤃 𐤃
EΧ𐤃 𐤃𐤃𐤄 𐤄 𐤄
V9 9 𐤅V VF 𐤁V V
Z9d
HΘ Θ□ 𐤁H
Th2OTh Θ Θ
I𐤆 𐤇I II II
Kcomplex symbolX XK
L𐤈J JJL L
M𐤉MM MM M M
NΘN HHN N
S𐤊 𐤋𐤋 𐤋S S

Source

De Bry, Johannes Israel & De Bry, Theodor. Alphabeta et Characteres. 1569. Plate: Alphabeta Antiqua. Comparative table of Punic, Pelasgian, Oscan, Arcadian, Gaulish, Phoenician, and Ancient Hebrew/Samaritan alphabets.

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