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The bovine alpha animal: How our alphabet came about

Time
18:00 - 23:00 o'clock
Organizer
Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena and Theologische Fakultät
Place
SR E003, Fürstengraben 6
Adresse
Fürstengraben 6

Get to know the diversity of alphabetic writing! Go in search of the origins of our letters and discover unexpected similarities between scripts such as Hebrew, Cyrillic, Arabic and Latin!

It is generally known that our alphabet is related to the Greek alphabet. But are there any connections with significantly different scripts such as Hebrew or Arabic, which are supposedly also written "upside down"? Let us take you on a journey to the origins of our writing more than 3500 years ago. Experience the innovative power of the alphabet and what it has to do with a cow. You will learn that our letters actually have much more in common with Hebrew or Arabic writing than you might think, and what role the Etruscans played in this.

After a short lecture on the history of the origins of the alphabet, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the diversity of our writing system and related systems using selected examples from different eras and cultures. In addition to the scripts of Europe and the Near East, the influences of the alphabet on neighboring regions such as East Africa, India and Central Asia will be presented, whose scripts either also go back to the Semitic alphabets or were at least inspired by them.

You can also take part in the practical learning process - for example, by writing your name or other words in different scripts from Iceland to India.

Note
The lecture will be repeated at 18:00, 20:00 and 22:00.
 
Bild
Ausprägungen der semitischen Alphabetschrift seit dem 9. Jh. v. Chr.
Ausprägungen der semitischen Alphabetschrift seit dem 9. Jh. v. Chr.
, ©

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