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CYPRUS:
Cradle of the Greek Alphabet and
Knowledge at the Birthplace of Hellenism
The myth of the Cypro-Minoan script the Eteocypriots and
the origins of the Greek alphabet in the Phoenician.
Which is the Greek syllabary?

Savvas Papadopoulos

To Kafestiatorio
parking area of
Agios Neophytos Monastery
8577, Paphos
00 357 26 913 913
spapadopoulos@cytanet.com.cy

Civilization in Cyprus since Neolithic times

,
,
, 8
. X.

The scientific dating of the various items excavated

by archaeologists, indicates that civilisation in Cyprus
began as far back as the Neolithic period in the 8th
millennium BC.

,
, 1.

At the prehistoric settlement of Choirokitia, primitive

Cypriots built organised housing units with a remarkably functional structure, and on the smooth inner
surface of a wall at Tenta settlement in Kalavassos,
traces were found of a painting of which a section
has survived depicting two human forms with arms
raised high1.

,

, .

Moreover, the various findings bear witness to the skill

with which primitive Cypriots decorated stone vessels
and fashioned primitive jewellery. The effort to create
better living conditions and improve the aesthetics of

. http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/da/da.nsf/All/FEF9127EDA620270C225719B00228342?OpenDocument

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life reveals both the will and the ability of this ancient
people to create civilisation.

And here two important questions arise in connection

with the title of this paper:

1. ,
4.000 ;

1. How did this primitive civilisation, which came

4000 years before the appearance of the socalled Indo-European civilisation, evolve?

2. , ,

6.000 , 2.000
..,
;

2. If logic dictates that writing originates from ancient simple painted images, what could be the
contribution and course of the paintings in the
6000 years that came before 2000 BC and the
appearance of the Cypro-syllabic script?

()

The origins of Homer in Old Salamis (Salamiou)

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That which is chiefly sought here is not the place from

where the great poet originated, but the unbelievably high level of civilisation for those ancient times
hidden behind his homeland.

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The fact that both Homeric works the Iliad and Odyssey are written mainly in the Ionic dialect, has led
both Smyrna and Chios to claim Homer as their own.
The weakness of the arguments, as well as the absence of powerful, living and authentic evidence on
the poets origins gradually led to scores of cities being added to the list of those cities which, relying on
thin arguments or facts of a clearly mythical nature,
claiming to have been Homers birthplace. This enables us to speculate that perhaps the poets homeland was destroyed and that was why it was not able
protect its great heritage.

,
,
,

,
H - 2.

In my book entitled Salamis of Paphos Testimonies

and Theories2 I refer extensively to the large body
of evidence which points to the fact that Homer was
descended from Salamis in Cyprus. This evidence is
drawn from non-Cypriot authors, in order to ensure
that it too is not characterised as wishful thinking.

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11 . . .
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2.

It should be clarified that I am not referring to the well-known

Salamis of Cyprus, but to a second city-kingdom, which from now
on I will call Old Salamis. Old Salamis was situated near the modern
village of Salamiou and was destroyed by earthquake in about
the 11th century BC. It seems that the well-known Salamis was
renamed from its original name of Ammochoustos to Salamis by
settlers who moved from Old Salamis at an unknown time before
the 5th century BC. It seems that this city, the city of Old Salamis,
was Homers real birthplace.
2.

Cyprus cradle of Greek knowledge

(1.250
- 1.000 ..), ,
.

Although the official version of history says that Hellenism arrived in Cyprus through its colonisation by the
Achaeans (1250 - 1.000 BC), a logical approach to a
series of events indicates that Hellenism in Cyprus was
a cradle of knowledge at the birth of Hellenism and
created the Greek alphabet. This knowledge was
transmitted to the broader Greek world where it took
root, blossomed and bore fruit. This is supported by
the reference by Hesychius3 in his dictionary, where
under the entry (navel of the earth)
Paphos is mentioned first and then Delphi.

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Thus when we speak about colonisation by the

Achaeans, what we really mean is that they were going back and forth from the motherland.

Cyprus a centre of world trade

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The geographical position of Cyprus at the crossroads

of the most important ancient civilisations meant that
the island served as a bridge between east and west,
and at the same time formed a link between three
continents. Thus all knowledge, albeit still scanty and
fragmented at the time, accumulated on the island
through the traders. This is where knowledge was
evaluated, brought together, matured and, finally,
made use of. This contributed to a rapid rise of the
living standards and the cultural, commercial, and industrial level of Cyprus, which led to a very imperative
need for written language.

,
4.

The results of the excavations taking place in recent

years in the Mavrorachi region of Pyrgos village in Limassol4 bear witness to the high cultural and commercial-industrial level of Cyprus .

2.350 ..

Organised industrial unit in 2.350 BC

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4.000 .. 2.350 .. 1.850 ..
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Archaeological digs have brought to light the worlds

oldest industrial unit. This was an industrial complex
which produced a variety of goods, and was run
in a single space covering an area of 4.000 square
metres, from 2.350 BC until 1.850 BC, when it was destroyed by earthquake. The first perfume workshop
and a workshop producing medicines operated under its roof. In other departments there were copperprocessing workshops, where evidence has been
found of the burning of oil at high temperatures - a
unique finding in the ancient world. The complex also

, . M.Schmidt, Jena, 1858-1868. . ,

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3.

4.

www.pyrgos-mavroraki.net

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contained workshops which produced olive oil, wine

and textiles. Traces have been found of evidence
of the manufacture of silk at a time which predates
even silk production in China.

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Finally, a dye factory also operated in the complex,

indicating that the Greeks used purple dyes several
centuries before the Phoenicians.

Script in the greater Hellenic world

,

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In order to approach the cyprosyllabic script, or,

more correctly, the Cypriot syllabary, we must first
look at what was happening with written language in
the Greek world as a whole.

, ,
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Excavations in the greater Greek world have brought

to light various pre-alphabetic scripts, particularly
from Crete, where they were more widespread.

Iconographic or hieroglyphic script

, , Sir Arthur John Evans,
.

One of these is largely made up of iconic characters,

and that was why the English archaeologist, Arthur
John Evans, who discovered it, named it iconographic or hieroglyphic.

,
, , Evans . A ( ) B ( ).

Two other pre-alphabetic scripts which came to light

during the same period, exhibited a more diagrammatic form and that was why Evans called it linear.
He divided the scripts into Linear A (the older of the
two) and Linear B (the newer).

Linear

A,
,

18 15 ..

The dated texts in Linear A, which consists of about

100 characters, belong for the most part to the period
from the mid 18th to the mid 15th century BC.

M 1.500 A,
7.500 . 9/10
.

To date approximately 1.500 texts have been published in Linear A, containing a total of about 7.500
symbols. More than 9/10 of the inscriptions are thought
to be account ledgers.

Linear

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. .

When the Mycenaeans encountered the syllabic

script system, Linear A, they borrowed it in order to
use it to record the Greek language. This adapted
script was called Linear B.

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Linear B exhibits a phenomenon whereby basic forms

of Linear A (almost half) are not used, and instead,
elements of hieroglyphic script appear.

 ,

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The explanation that can be given is that Linear A recorded a non-Greek language and the forms which
are not used ascribe acoustic values which are not
found in the Greek language.

, .

The Mycenaeans showed no inclination to adapt this

script to the Greek language and develop it further,
but instead limited themselves merely to serving the
accounting needs of the Mycenaean palaces.

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For this reason, one cannot be certain which words

are written in Linear B if this cannot be deduced from
the context as a whole. It seems that this was not a
problem for the users, since only a small group of experts were privy to the written word, and they used it
only to record a limited range of accounting information. Indeed, the same is true nowadays with account
ledgers, which use only a sparse vocabulary, unclear
to outsiders but readily understood by the accountants themselves.

, ,
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, .
. 3.000 ,
;

Taking the above into account, it can be said that

Linear B cannot be considered a separate entity of
writing. In order to make this understood, we cite the
following for arguments sake: nowadays all email
addresses are written in the Latin alphabet. If 3.000
years from now some extremely voluminous lists of addresses of Chinese citizens were to fall into the hands
of archaeologists, would it be correct to call the Latin
alphabet Chinese?

The Cypriot syllabary brings about a revolution in written language

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In Cyprus archaeological excavations have brought

to light a system of syllabic script whose mature phase
can be described as the most remarkable achievement in the history of writing worldwide. It would not
be an exaggeration to say that a revolution was taking place in the area of writing, with an excellent
technique being used to introduce vowels, and, by
extension sound, with the result that language was
rendered in a precise phonetic way and for the first
time a written text was produced exactly as it was
spoken. The result is a complete phonetic system
which allows us today to read a word, which was written thousands of years ago, precisely as it was read
by the ancient people of the time. Furthermore, it is
a script which is characterised by extreme simplicity
and clarity.

5 16
. . .
, , .

The oldest dated evidence of this script is encountered on a fragment of a clay inscribed plate5 from
Engomi which dates to the 16th century BC. The number of syllabograms in relation with the size of the
plate as well as the orderly layout, suggest it was created several centuries earlier.

5.

P. Dikaios, Antiquite XXX, 1956, pp. 40-42 and pl. IX, Enkomi Excavations 1948-1958, II (Mainz 1971) pp.882-883


,

17 .. 6.

According to the findings of the excavations in the city

of Ashkelon in Israel, the Philistines borrowed and used
the Cypro-syllabic script in the mid-17th century BC 6.

, , ,
, 12.110
15.963 , ,

.

Finally, with regard to Homers works, if logic supports the position that it would have been impossible for them to have survived through oral speech,
the 12,110 lines that make up the Iliad and the 15,963
lines of the Odyssey could only have been written
originally in the Cypro-syllabic script.

Logical approach to the creation of writing

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A logical approach to the matter suggests that it was

trade which first required the use of certain symbols to
record the name, quantity, quality and value of the
merchandise. From the moment that trade began to
move outside the narrow geographical boundaries
of each local region, certain accounting symbols
which had been established acquired an international character.

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When living standards, and by extension, cultural

standards rose, the need came up to record laws,
events, dedications etc. This work was no longer in
the domain of merchants (it was probably a matter of indifference to them then, as it is now), but of
the wise men and the priesthood. The international
trade symbols undoubtedly played an important role,
since, as successors to simple painted images, they
were the precursors of written language.

,
, , .

That is why it is logical that certain similar forms of letters can be seen in the scripts of different civilisations,
without this meaning that these scripts are related to
each other.

Local variations or different forms of writing

,
-,
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.
,
7.

The island was not ruled by one single kingdom but

instead each city was a separate, independent citystate. Relations between the kingdoms seem to have
been harmonious and they cooperated well with
each other. Various sources lead to the assumption
that at first at least some of the royal families belonged to the same lineage7 .

,
-

Thus, the aspiration to expand writing beyond accounting ledgers passed from kingdom to kingdom

6.

www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070419/news_1c19phil.html

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7.

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and gradually took root in all the kingdoms. Depending on the level of their intelligence or the zeal and
intellectual level of the school of each kingdom, the
people who engaged in this discipline, developed
certain local styles in designing the syllabograms.
On the one hand they had to reduce the degree of
difficulty, when the writing was carved out on stone
and marble, and on the other, they also sought the
best possible aesthetic result, which would make the
written words simpler to learn and therefore easier to
read.

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It was only reasonable that the continuous improvement of writing, particularly in its initial stages, would
result in frequent alterations as well as removals and
additions of symbols, leading to the establishment of
a number of different schools or forms of script.

Scripts that are not expected to be read

. -
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Such scripts are difficult or even impossible to read.

Apart from the fact that the scribes had not yet decided on the final forms of the symbols, the use of
writing was still limited. With the exception of a small
number of inscriptions, time has destroyed all those
which were written on soft surfaces, such as animal
skins or wood.

,
,
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Consequently, it is not possible to amass a satisfactory

collection of samples of the early stages of writing,
which comes from the same period in time and the
same kingdom, in order to have a satisfactory basis
for comparison and have any hope of reading some
of the very early inscriptions.

The common form of writing

,
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The cultural pressure to finally arrive at a common

form of writing arose when social conditions made it
necessary for all social strata to understand and read
the written word. By that stage, writing had arrived
at a relatively mature stage and offered the possibility of choice of the symbols and shapes which would
eventually prevail.

Who else used the Cypriot syllabary?

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Traders from the ancient civilisations of the region had

established their headquarters in Cyprus, which was
at that time the centre of international trade. In addition to the small traders who travelled around selling
their wares, there were also the large merchants or
brokers, who arranged large trade deals, between
palaces for example, or were in charge of regulating
transit trade. In times of peace, - wars were not an

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everyday occurrence, - merchants were the nucleus around which small settlements gradually developed, made up of various ethnicities which engaged

 .

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in all manner of activities in order to ensure their physical survival. This, of course, is a phenomenon which is
still encountered in the present day, and not only in
Cyprus but in almost all developed countries.

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Once settled in Cyprus, these groups of ancient people were inevitably influenced by the local society.
Thus, among other things, they borrowed the system
of writing, which was highly developed for its time,
and adapted it as far as possible to their own languages, in order to write down both their account
ledgers and anything else they wanted to record.

Scripts that will never be read

The fact that:

1. ,

1. writing was still at a very early stage and therefore exhibited weaknesses;

2. ,
,

2. the forms used were designed to render the

sounds of the Greek language;

3. ,

3. we had settlers from many ancient civilisations

with different languages,

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.

means that archaeological excavations have found

and will continue to find inscriptions which are completely impossible to read.

,
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,

, .

We must also not overlook the fact that at the time

there was no common All-Cyprus Ministry of Education which trained the scribes and then awarded
them diplomas. It therefore makes sense that the
forms of the syllabograms varied among the scribes
of the same period and even the same city.

,
, , 8,
,


,
;

Since we are unable to read the Greek inscriptions

belonging to the early form of written language or
even because different professors have read such inscriptions in entirely different ways8 , what chance do
we have of reading an inscription which might be in
Assyrian or Egyptian or Phoenician or Hittite or Minoan
or some other language unknown to us, without having a broad data base for each separate language?

8.

, ,
. 1874 C-430.

8.

O Deecke ( I.H.Hall. The Bearded Archer The Atheneum, No

2757, August 28, 1880) : j
() F () () `
j.

O Deecke ( I.H.Hall. The Bearded Archer The Atheneum, No 2757,

August 28, 1880) reads the inscription as follows: j () F () () `
j.

Masson (Les Incriptions Chypriotes Syllabiges

Masson (Les Incriptions Chypriotes Syllabiges (1983), no 93,pp 148-

A Cypro-syllabic inscription was found on a triangular pediment

at the top of a stone stele, depicting a bearded archer. This was
found at the village of Salamiou andit has been in the British
Museum since 1874, catalogue number C-430.

 ,

, , ,

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Moreover, if we also take into account that a number

of acoustic values of these languages is not rendered
through the symbols of the Cypro-syllabic script, it can
easily be understood that some inscriptions which
were written either at the early or even at the mature
stages of writing, will remain for ever unread.

Better unread than wrongly read and interpreted

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Sometimes even though the answers we seek are simple and can be found near at hand, we nonetheless
manage to obscure them either by misinterpreting an
inscription or by formulating unfounded theories. Particularly when such interpretations are uttered from
the mouths of renowned personalities they automatically acquire gravity which results in a distortion and
complication of historical fact and leads to dark and
inaccessible paths in which we are finally held captive and can never escape.

How the myth of the Cypro-Minoan syllabary was born

Sir Arthur John

Evans,
. , ,

,
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Inscriptions from the early phase of the Cypro-syllabic

script came to the attention of Sir Arthur John Evans,
who at that time was excavating the palaces of Minos in Crete. After identifying certain symbols as being similar to those of Linear A, he decided that the
Cypro-syllabic script had its origins in Crete and thus
dubbed it Cypro-Minoan syllabary: a term which
was accepted by the archaeologists.

()
() () ().

He also paralleled the relationship between Linear A

(older) and Linear B (newer) with Cypro-Minoan (older) and the Cypro-syllabic (newer).

, 9, ,
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Subsequently, the term Cypro-Minoan syllabary included later inscriptions9, which we are unable to
decipher, simply because they do not appear to be
written in Greek.

, .

,
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Thus, the myth of Cypro-Minoan syllabary was born. In

order to consolidate the theory and close the circle
of the myth, it would have been necessary to also
discover the civilisation which spoke this unknown
language which as scientists we are unable to read.

(1983), no 93,pp 148-149) :

F / ()
.

149) reads the same inscription as follows: F / () .

, ( ,
( 2008) .
. 86-107) : () ` () `
. .

I have examined the readings of the two professors and found that
I disagreed with both, and have made my own, different reading:
(Papadopoulos Savvas, Salamis of Paphos Testimonies and
Theories (Nicosia 2008) chap. The Bearded Archer pp. 86-107)
as follows: () `
() ` . .

9.

Inscriptions Chypriotes Syllabiques, Olivier Masson, 196 a & b.

How the myth of the Eteocypriots was born

, ,
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This was how the myth arose of the so-called Eteocypriots as well, a term which supposedly denotes
the indigenous or genuine inhabitants of Cyprus during antiquity.

, ,
,
10.

This term is not found in any ancient philological or

other source, and is merely an invention of more recent researchers, based on the term Eteocretans,
which denotes the indigenous Cretans and is found
in Homer 10.

Evans, , , ,
,
, .

The myth of the so-called Eteocypriots, might have

supported Evanss theory, but it shed darkness and
not light over the landscape, since, as will be shown
below, the so-called Eteocypriots are none other
than the Greeks.

How the myth of the Cypro-Minoan syllabary is debunked

Theoretical experiment: Phase One

Evans
,
, :

Evanss theory on the Cypro-Minoan syllabary can be

dismissed on the basis of the following, albeit, theoretical experiment:

, 95 (---, - ...), ,
----. , ,

, .

If we draw up a list containing the 95 syllables that

result from the 18 consonants of the Greek alphabet (----, -etc.), and the five vowels ----, with the exception of certain syllables
which consist of two consonants and one vowel the
list will basically contain the sounds which any person
can utter in any of the worlds languages.

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This list will then be divided among three groups of primary school children in three different countries. The
first group will be in Cyprus, the second in Finland and
the third in Brazil. The three groups will be asked to
invent a kind of writing which will codify the ninety syllables and the five vowels, so that each syllable and
vowel separately will acquire its own symbol (form).

,
, ,

(, )
, ... , , .

They will also be asked to take into account the degree of difficulty of the script they will deliver, since
the forms will be carved out using primitive tools on
hard surfaces (stone, marble) or inscribed on clay,
animal skins etc. Finally, an example will be given to
them so that it is absolutely clear what they are being
asked to do.

And the question is the following: Is there any possibility that the three groups of children will manage

10.

(, 176): ... , ...

10

to draw the 95 linear forms without using some forms

: F O M N;

that are similar or at least similar to the shapes:

F O M N?

,
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,
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If the results are then given to professors of linguistics

to interpret the result, it would be anticipated that
voluminous scientific and documented studies would
arise proving the common origins of the cyprofinnishbrazilian script.

Phase Two

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We would then give the same assignment to professors of linguistics. Because the script that would arise
should not be considered to be related either to Linear A or the Cypro-syllabic or even the alphabetic
script, we will ask them to choose symbols that will not
be similar to those included in the aforementioned
scripts. In addition, they must design symbols which
can be carved on hard surfaces such as stone and
marble.

, , ,

.

If they succeed in finding, not ninety five forms, but

even ten worthwhile forms, then the so-called term
Cypro-Minoan script will acquire the foundations of
scientific documentation.

Questions which lead to conclusions

, :

If the so-called Cypro-Minoan script does not render

the Greek language, answers must be sought to the
following questions:

1.
,
, ,
;

1. Why have there not been found examples of

the early phase of the Cypro-syllabic script, that
is to say, the initial stage, which the so-called Cypro-Minoan script borrowed in order to write in the
Greek language?

2. , ,
,
11 , 11 ..
, ;

2. If such examples do not exist, what was the raw

material for the Cypro-syllabic script, particularly if
we take into account that the form of the syllabograms of the oldest dated writing11, which was
dated to the 11th century BC, is placed within the
mature phase of writing?

3. ,
,
,
;

3. If the so-called Cypro-Minoan script was used to

write the unknown language of the so-called Eteocypriots, how did the Greeks manage to adapt it
so quickly and impeccably in order to render the
Greek language?

4. ;

4. Could this achievement have been performed

miraculously?

11. Comptes vendus de l Academie des Inscriptions (1980) p. 135 :

11

5. , , ,
;

5. If the answer is in the affirmative, why did not the

same occur with Linear B also, when it borrowed
syllabograms from Linear A?

,
, , .

The answers to the above questions indicate that

only one syllabary was born in Cyprus, devised and
designed to record the language of the so-called
Eteocypriots, and that is the Greek language.

Who are the Eteocypriots?

,
, .

It is now up to the archaeologists to decide which

are the origins and identity of this people whose roots
go back to the depths of antiquity
and which brought forth
Greek writing in order to record the Greek language.

. :

The terms Cypro-syllabic script or Cypriot Syllabary

do not correctly describe what they refer to. The correct wording should be:

Greek syllabic script.

, (1.450..-1.200 ..),
, , .

For a short time in the greater Hellenic world, (1450

BC.-1200 BC), the Mycenaeans borrowed a number
of syllabograms from a non-Greek script, Linear A
and adapted them to the Greek language in order
to serve the accounting needs of the Mycenaean
palaces.

, ,
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,
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,
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Thus, the one and only syllabic script which was designed from the beginning to record the Greek language, is the Cypro-syllabic. However, the language
referred to as Cypro-syllabic does not record some
Cypriot language, but only the Greek language.
Hence, the name emanating from the language and
technique that is written is Greek syllabic script or syllabary.

Where does the greatness of the Greek Syllabary

lie?

, ,
,
. ,
. ,
, .

Despite the fact that the alphabetic system of writing was born and developed subsequently, it did not
displace the syllabic script for the simple reason that it
did not exhibit shortcomings compared to the alphabet. Thus, the two writing systems coexisted side by
side for several hundred years. This should not cause
any surprise since a similar phenomenon can be seen
today in the Greek language.

12


,
12 .
A Greek syllabic inscription describing the employment of the doctor Onasilus and his brothers by the king
and citizens of Idalion in order to treat the wounded after Idalion was attacked by the Persians and the
Phoenicians of Citium12.

The Church kept Hellenism alive

,


2.500 , .

Whereas nowadays ancient languages are found

only in museums and encyclopaedias, the Orthodox
Church has kept the Greek language alive and unaltered exactly as it was spoken 2500 years ago, at the
time of the great Greek philosophers.

,
,
.

In addition to the language, the Church is the only

organisation today which has also preserved the essence of the teachings of the great Greek philosophers, who defined as the greatest of all virtues the
acquisition of knowledge which unites man with the
divine entity of its origins.

. () F F () F , F
y () () y () ()() () () () . F() () () F F F F
. F () () () (?) F ()
()y, () () () ()() F y () () F (?) .
() () () () , ,
(): . (vacat) F () F()
F () () , (vacat) . () ()
(?) F () y y () y F, y () (), () ()
F() () Fy , () () () , () F F(), ()
, y () () () F (?), y (). () ()
(?) , (): , . ()
(), Fy (), y () () , F()
() F (?). (?) () F() () , y/y F . () (?)() () () () ()
() () F, () F ().
12

13

 , ,

,
, 2.500
(!)

In a hypothetical end and rebirth of the world, it

would be impossible for archaeology to accept that
the same people, who spoke Greek in the form that
it was spoken in their own time, could also speak the
Greek language in the form that it was spoken 2500
years before them (!)

Was the Greek syllabary abandoned or was its use

banned?

3 .. .
, .
, ,
,

.

It is interesting to see why the syllabary was abandoned around the end of the 3rd century BC. It is also
rather sad because the Greek language lost a number of idioms which alphabetic script cannot render.
Some of these idioms survived through oral speech,
especially in Paphos, where I come from, and where
expressions of ancient Greek grammar and a number
of purely Homeric words are still in use.

, , :

The prevailing view that the syllabic script was abandoned owing to the superiority of the alphabet, cannot be accepted and this is founded on the following
two realities:

1. ,

, .

13 ,
,
.
3 .. , .
65
. ,
, ,
,
.

1.The first reality is that the syllabary was not abandoned over time as it gradually fell into disuse, but
instead its end came suddenly. This conclusion
can be drawn, among other things, from the findings at Kafizin13 , where the syllabic script exists side
by side with the alphabetic, and a number of inscriptions are written in both scripts. The important
thing is that these inscriptions belong to the late 3rd
century, that is, the period when the syllabic script
fell into disuse. However, a total of 65 inscriptions in
the syllabic script were found in Kazifin alone. Thus,
it cannot be accepted that a mature system of
writing, which evolved over many centuries, could
suddenly disappear overnight.

,

,
,
2.500 . , .

Another fact that powerfully contradicts the prevailing view is the example of the Church, which
was not affected by the changes in the form of
the language, but preserved Greek in its unadulterated form, as it was used 2500 years ago. If we
had not experienced this reality at first hand, we
would never have believed it.

13

. ,
. ,
. , ,

225 - 218 . ., 23o
4 .

13

The Nymphaeum of Kafizin, Terence B. Mitford, Kadmos, 1981.

The Nymphaeum of Kafizin, Terence B. Mitford, Kadmos, 1981.

. Kafizin or little Aronas, is an archaeological site near Aronas hill in Aglantzia. At this
site in a cave which served as a Nymphs shrine significant archaeological art works and
inscription were found in the Cypro-syllabic and alphabetic scripts. On the basis of dates
found on certain inscriptions, the use of Nymphaeum dates to the Hellenistic period
specifically, between 225 and 218 BC, that is, from the 23rd year of the reign of Ptolemy
Euergetes (Benefactor) to the 4th year of Ptolemy Philopator.

14

2. , , , , 2.200
,
.

2. The second reality concerns the quality, philosophy and structure of the Greek syllabary which
despite the vagaries of time, has remained alive
even after 2200 years in the Japanese script,
which even applies the same logic to its grammatical rules.

And yet it could still have been in use even today

,
, ,
2200 , .

In the tables below it is possible to compare, and

wonder at, the degree of great simplicity and purity
of an ancient system of writing, the use of which was
banned 2200 years ago, set beside the two forms of
modern Japanese writing.

15

Historical events at the time when the syllabary

ceased to be used

,
.
,
.
(323 ..)

,
.
.

Consequently, the answer to the previous question

should be sought in the historical events of the time
during which the syllabary fell into disuse. This was a
long period during which Cyprus suffered greatly as
a result of continuous bloody wars fought over the
domination of the island, the outcomes of which
were often in the balance.
After the death of Alexander the Great (323 BC)
Cyprus was fought over by his successors, Ptolemy I
Lagides or Soter, and Antigonus Monophthalmus or
Cyclops. This dispute resulted in military operations
headed by both combatants with the aim of occupying Cyprus.

,

( ) .
, .

The island passed first into the hands of Ptolemy, but

was later conquered by Demetrius the Besieger (son
of Antigonus) following a very bloody war. Thousands
of soldiers on both sides were transferred to Cyprus to
fight in this war.

, . ,

, ,
.

Some years later, a new military conflict ensued,

which was won by Ptolemy who resumed power in
the island and abolished the Cypriot kingdoms and
placed Cyprus as a single country- in his Ptolemaic
kingdom with its headquarters in Alexandria.

, ,
. ` (221-204 ..)
`
, , 216
..
. , ` ,
. , .

, 58
.., .

After that, the powerful Selucids, kings of Syria, tried

repeatedly to take Cyprus away from the Ptolemaic dynasties of Egypt. During the reign of Ptolemy IV
(Philopator) (221-204 BC) king Antiochus III of Syria attempted to occupy Cyprus, as he had done in south
Syria, but was defeated in 216 BC at Raphia near
Gaza, and was forced to abandon the attempt. He
returned during the reign of Ptolemy VI Philometor,
whom he defeated at Pelusium thereby seizing from
Egypt its conquests in Syria. The governor of Cyprus
at the time, Ptolemy Macron, betrayed the island to
Antiochus, who appointed Sostratus governor of the
island. However, the Ptolemaic dynasty managed
to regain control of Cyprus, and retain it until 58 BC,
when it became a Roman province.

. ,
.. , , ,
. ,
,
.

, ,

.

It is in the context of these historical events that the

ban on the use of the syllabic script must be sought.
Various hypotheses can be made, such as for example, that it was a way to punish the priests who used
the script extensively and who took a particular side
which later lost the war. Another reason for the ban
could have been because unlike the alphabet, the
conquerors could not decipher the syllabary. Another
hypothesis could be that the ban was aimed at cutting the Cypriots off from their deeper roots, namely
Hellenism, and converting them to some other culture.

16

How the alphabet came to be

,
,
,
.

The view is put forward for the first time that the alphabetic script was not the invention of one man but
was simply the fruit which created itself and was born
from the tree of the Greek syllabary, when this matured and reached the fruit-bearing stage.

, .
, . ,

,
.
, ,
, --, -- --.

At this stage the syllabic script and, by extension, syllables had crystallised and men of letters were by
now focusing on their new duties: to teach others.
The ability by more and more social strata to comprehend writing was the next step towards ensuring that
it would attain its true value. Consequently, teachers
first instructed people in how to spell out the syllables
of a word and then to learn the syllables which were
written in the syllabic script. More attention had to be
paid to the syllables which resulted from the voiceless
consonants belonging to the same family, that is, the
palatal --, the labial -- and the dental --.

,
--, -, - --, - -, - , ; , =
, = , = .
;

When they attempted to pronounce the slight difference in the sounds of the syllables, --, -,
- or --, - or --, - etc,
how did they explain this? They said: = ,
= , = etc. So what were they doing without
at first realising it?

, .
,
.
,

- .

The answer is simple: they were alphabetising the syllables. As soon as they realised that this is what they
were doing, the Greek alphabetic system was born
automatically at that very moment. All that remained
was for them to understand it fully and then to devise the symbols which would represent the sound of
each phoneme-letter.

Why the Greek alphabet could not have come from

any script other than the Greek syllabary

, , .

The only two pre-alphabetic scripts that rendered

the Greek language in writing were Linear B and the
Greek syllabic.

, .


12 . . , .

Linear B remained an incomplete system of writing

which consisted of some of the syllabograms of Linear A, which the Mycenaeans borrowed and adapted
to the Greek language. This adapted script was used
exclusively to record account ledgers and was abandoned in the 12th century BC without any attempt to
improve it.

,
.

In contrast, the Greek syllabary was designed from

the beginning to record the Greek language and developed to full maturity.

17

 ,
, ,
,
,

.

In the same way that it stands to reason that wine

cannot be produced from unripe and sour grapes
which were either harvested too early from the vine,
or where the vine dried up before the grapes managed to ripen and reach full maturity and sweetness,
the same logic would dictate that the only system
of writing through which the Greek alphabet could
have been born is the Greek syllabary.

The oldest alphabetic scripts

,
, .

Although the oldest dated examples of alphabetic

script were found outside Cyprus, they are nonetheless connected to the island.

, (, ), 1871 735-750 ..
,

.
, , , .

The first is a wine jar found at the site of ancient Dipylos (Kerameikos, the main gate of ancient Athens), in
1871 and which is dated to 735-750 BC. It appears to
have been the trophy for a dance competition since
the inscription reads: Whichever now of the dancers moves with lightest step The next part is hard
to read, but probably says will receive the prize, i.e.
the wine jar.

, ,
, ( ). , .
, ,
.

There are rumours that in the same tomb where the

wine jar was found there were also stone plates inscribed in the Greek syllabic script (of Cyprus). Unfortunately, this fact was covered up or merely allowed
to pass without comment. For the sake of science, if
this is true, the archaeologists of Greece should either
confirm or deny it.

,

, .
: . ,
.

On what is known as the cup of Nestor, which belongs to the same period and was found on the island
of Pithekoussai (Ischia) in the Adriatic, there is reference to the goddess Aphrodite. A translation of the
alphabetic inscription reads as follows: I am Nestors
cup, good to drink from. Whoever drinks from this cup
will immediately be seized by desire for beautifullycrowned Aphrodite.

The ancient construction of alphabetic script

,

.

,
.

There can be no doubt that, to begin with linear

shapes had to be found which would render in written form the sound of each phoneme. These symbols
would have to be simple and clear and must not be
the same as those contained in the syllabary otherwise there would be confusion between the two systems of writing.

, ,
.
, ,

. ,
.

A reasonable period would have elapsed between

the time when the initial idea was conceived and its
practical implementation as well as the subsequent
establishment of its final form. When this work was
completed, the need would have arisen for each
of the linear shapes that were devised to acquire its
own name and by extension its own identity and entity; otherwise it would have been impossible to teach
the alphabetic script.

18


,
, ..
, .

In the early stages the letters were given the names

of objects whose names began with the corresponding letter; for example the letter might have been
called , meaning ox.

.

, :

This is a method encountered in radio-telegraphy.

When the wireless operator is asked to spell a word
or give the international four-letter sign for his ship, he
uses the following phonetic alphabets:

The Greek phonetic alphabet
=

The Latin phonetic alphabet
A = Alfa

B = Bravo

C = Charlie D = Delta

E = Echo

F = Foxtrot

G = Golf

H = Hotel

I = India

J = Juliet

K = Kilo

L = Lima

M = Mike

N = November O = Oscar

P = Papa

Q= Quebec R = Romeo

S = Sierra

T = Tango

U = Uniform V = Victor

W = Whisky

X = X-ray

Y = Yankee Z = Zulu

, ,
. , ,

, .
,

.

Without a doubt this must have been how the letters

of the Greek alphabet were given their names at
the time of the alphabets creation. The fact that letters and objects shared the same name would have
required continuous clarification as to whether the
name related to the letter of the alphabet or the object which was lending its name to the letter. It would
be very nave to assume that the current names of
the letters were given before the alphabet reached
its mature phase.

Improvement of the alphabetic script

, , ,
.

, . .
,
.

Thus, when the skeleton of the new writing edifice

had been completed, the team of architects and
decorators came into the fray. Because it constituted a manifestation of the soul of language, the
alphabet had to contain within it the sum of human
wisdom, beauty and knowledge. Of course all this did
not take place over a short period. In the same way
that it took centuries for the foundations of the edifice
to be laid, so too the actual construction would have
required that each of many human generations add
its own little pebble in the building.

19


` .
-, `
,
.

In the mature phase of the alphabet, each letter acquired its own name, and by extension, its identity
and standing. The sound of each letter was rendered
in an extremely artful sound-metre so that as a whole
they united and unified the acoustic aspect of the alphabet into a musical motif, thereby making it easier
for people to learn the alphabet.

.
, ,
, (-, -, ,
-). , , .

The names of the first letters have two syllables and

end with the most resonant of all the phonemes: .
The phoneme is called and its name is added
to the second letter of the alphabet, or the second
consonant (beta), as well as the two consonants
which come before and after it, (-, -, ,
-).

-
.

After the first two-syllable letters come the singlesyllable ones. Some later corrections-interventions in
the alphabet appear to have interrupted its concise
musicality.

The order of the letters

,
.

It would appear that there is a kind of logic in the order in which the letters are placed, and this is related
to peoples everyday lives.

, ,

.
. -
().

With regard to the first letter, Alpha, the possible provenance of its name is set down for the first time. The
word appears to be made up of the first two letters of
two words: - from the word (cock).

.
, ,
,

, .

I had the good fortune to have spent my early childhood in the village of Salamiou and my early morning awakening has remained imprinted in my mind.
Just before daybreak, scores of cocks from varying
distances, close to my house and further away, set
up a fantastic musical feast with their crowing, which
awakened the whole neighbourhood.

-
,
.

The second syllable, - comes from the word

meaning light, in other words, the trigger for the
crowing of the cocks.

, ,
.

For the people of that time, living as they did absolutely within the laws of nature, without artificial light
and night-time activities, these two words represented the beginning of each new productive day.

.
,
, .

The second letter of the alphabet is perhaps from

(ox). Then ox was the most useful and valuable
tool for human survival, since it was used to plough
the land and help it retain rainwater and become
fertile and bounteous.

,
.

The letter came next, perhaps from the word for

earth whose fruits nurture mankind.

20

 ,
, ,
. , ,
.

Then comes , perhaps from the ancient word

, meaning home, which sheltered and protected the family. In ancient Greek is also the word
for the isosceles triangle the form for the upper case
letter, since the lower case letters came much later.

The myth that the Greek alphabet came

from the Phoenician

19
, .
.

When the Phoenician alphabet was discovered in

the 19th century, its origins were unknown. Thus, a
number of scenarios arose in connection with its provenance.

, ,
. .

Some people put forward the theory that it evolved

from the Egyptian script, others said it was from the
Proto-Semitic language, or the Proto-Canaanite
script. The earliest known inscriptions in the Phoenician alphabet come from the city of Byblos.

,

( , ).

,
,
.

However, no link has been found to bridge the enormous gap between the above writing systems and
the Phoenician alphabet (it is a little bit of an exaggeration to call it an alphabet since it does not include vowels, and perhaps it would be more correct
to include it among the systems of writing). To give
an example of the magnitude of the gap in evolution which divided the above writing systems from the
Phoenician alphabet, it could be said that it is as if
the invention that came immediately after the bicycle was the space rocket.

, . ,

.

The similarity between the letters of the Phoenician

and Greek alphabets gave rise to the view that the
Greek alphabet derived from the Phoenician. This
view was also based on the fact that it was the Phoenicians who spread the use of the alphabet.

,
, ,
,
,
,

, 8.000 . .

Unlike the Phoenician alphabet which does not possess the roots that would justify its having evolved from
some older writing system, the Greek alphabet was on
an incessant course of development, since it derived
directly from the Greek syllabary. In addition it was
founded on the infrastructure of a civilisation of an
inconceivably high intellectual level, an example of
which has survived by way of Homer, and which goes
even further back to a demonstrably uninterrupted
civilisation going back as far as 8000 BC.

, ,
,

, 14 ,
15.

The strong presence of the Phoenicians in Cyprus, the

centre of trade, is linked to their presence during the
Cypro-Geometric period as well. The city of Citium is
described as a Phoenician city which was used as a
transit post for the goods arriving from Carthage14 ,
and the city of Lapithos15 was also under their rule . By
nature a trading people, mainly through sea trade,

14

. , , . .149, 1983
. . , . Muller I p. 77.103 :
. , , ,

14

15

15

. Hadjioannou Kyriakos, , vol. p.149, Nicosia 1983

. Skylax Karyandeves. Periplous, . Muller I p. 77.103 :
. , , ,

21

, ,

, ,

.

the Phoenicians spread the use of the alphabet both

in North Africa and Europe, where it was mistakenly
assumed that the alphabetic script was their invention.

,
, ,
,
,

. ,

(!)

Consequently, the only logical explanation is that the

Phoenician alphabet, as well as the philosophy of
the names and forms of its letters, was taken from the
early stages of the Greek alphabet. No other logical
explanation can be documented, unless of course
the alphabet fell out of the sky (!)

Where confirmation of the above positions and views

can be expected to come from

.
11 . .
, , ,
.
.

Close to the present-day village of Salamiou in

Paphos is the site of the kingdom of the ancient city
of Old Salamis. A terrible geological phenomenon
during the 11th century BC resulted in part of the ancient city being swept to the depths of the earth, and
the part which remained over-ground was destroyed
in its entirety. This part of the ancient city is today a
virgin archaeological park.

,
,
.

The tragedy of the destruction had one silver lining

for the science of archaeology, since the earth kept
within it frozen testimony to that time, which would
not have been preserved had the city continued to
live.

Cypro-Arcadian civilisation

,
. ,

, .
, ,
, ,
, , ,
, , ,

, , .

In the geographical boundaries of this extremely ancient kingdom were settlements whose names can
be found in the greater region of ancient Arcadia
and Argolida. It should be noted that the borders of
ancient Arcadia are not the same as those of the
present day city, and were much larger than they
are now.
Thus, apart from the island of Salamis, which bears
the name of the kingdom, we had the ancient cities of Cyllene, Troezen, Hermione, Methana and Asini, which, however heretical this might sound, could
conceivable have owed their origins to this region of
Old Salamis, and not the other way around, as it is
generally thought.

, ,

,
, .
.

Besides, the fact should not be overlooked that the

ancient language of Arcadia is none other than genuine Greek, as this was spoken in Cyprus the language known as Cypro-Arcadian. In order to understand how far back this goes, it should be noted that
the Arcadians were the most ancient Greek race.

22

In lieu of bibliography

, ,
.
,
,
,
.

The primordial roots of the civilisation of the Greeks of

Cyprus, as is the case with the Greeks of Arcadia, go
back so far that the bibliography cannot deal with it
and continually tries to find a place to fit our origins. In
order to give weight to this theory, in recent years the
literature has invented the so-called Indo-European
races on the basis of a shallow logic founded on the
common roots of certain words.

, , , , , .. : (. pita, .
., . pater, . Vater, . father), (. mata, . . , . mater, .
Mutter, . mother), (. dma-, . .
, . domus) (. va-, . .
, . equus) .
, .
16.530
, , , ,
16 (!)

Specifically, the similarity of certain basic words in Sanskrit, Ancient Greek, Latin, German, English, etc, such
as: (Sanskrit pita, Ancient Greek , Latin
pater, German Vater, English father), (Sanskrit, mata, Ancient Greek , Latin. mater, German Mutter, English mother), (Sanskrit, dma-,
Ancient Greek , Latin domus) (Sanskrit,
va-, Ancient Greek , Latin equus) etc, led
linguists to assume that these words have common
roots.
Whereas the truth is that the German language contains 16,530 simple or composite words, which are an
essential part, both qualitatively and quantitatively, of
the total wealth of the German language16 (!)

35.000 17 (!)

Whereas the English language contains more than

35,000 Greek words17 (!)

64%
18 (!)

Whereas according to a study by the French Ministry of Education, 64% of French words have Greek
roots18 (!)

16
.
., = Das . Prokopides Harilaos A., Greek in the German language= Das Griechische in
der deutschen Sprache, Athens Cactus, 1994.
Griechische in der deutschen Sprache, , , 1994.
16

17
. Greek words in the English language, Aristides Constantinides, Thessaloniki,
. , , 1994
, 1994.
You speak Greek, you just dont know it, Annie Stefanides, . Ianos 2010.
You speak Greek; you just dont know it, Annie Stefanides, publ. Ianos 2010.

, , 26 Moreover, former Prime Minister of Greece and professor Xenophon Zolotas
2 1959, . gave two speeches in English in Washington, on 26 September and 2 October
, 1959, which have gone down in history. With the exception of a few conjunctions,
. articles and prepositions, all the words were borrowed from Greek. This was
repeated later by Dr Ioannis Kalaras in a scientific paper at the Titania Hotel
15/3/2000 - on 15/03/2000 and Professor of Orthopaedics at Ioannina University, Panayiotis
, 5 - Soukakos, at the 5th European Orthopaedics Congress, held in Rhodes.
, .
18.
The speech by French diplomat at the Embassy in Athens, M Luc Asselin
18.
, . de Williencourt, which used only French words of Greek origin, following the
, example set by Zolotas, is evidence by itself.
, , .
17

En cette epoque historique de leuro, les cycles de la politique et de lorthodoxie

economique sont en synergie dans notre sphere geographique. LEnosis
europeenne, atome dans le cosmos et dans la galaxie des idees geopolitiques,
a un programme thematique et geographique orchestre. Cest un phenomene
authentique et non un periple chmerique ou ephemere. Entre parentheses,
pour laconique, ce n est pas la boite de panadore, encore moins les Danaides.

En cette epoque historique de leuro, les cycles de la politique et de lorthodoxie

economique sont en synergie dans notre sphere geographique. LEnosis
europeenne, atome dans le cosmos et dans la galaxie des idees geopolitiques,
a un programme thematique et geographique orchestre. Cest un phenomene
authentique et non un periple chmerique ou ephemere. Entre parentheses,
pour laconique, ce n est pas la boite de panadore, encore moins les Danaides.

,
. , , . , ,
, .

In this historic age of the euro, the political and economic orthodoxy circles
are finally in synergy in our geographical sphere. The European Union, an
atom in the cosmos and in the galaxy of geopolitical ideas, has a thematic and
orchestrated programme. This is authentic and not a chimeric or ephemeral
periplous. In parenthesis, to be laconic, it is not Pandoras box, or of course the
jar of the Danaids..

23

Whereas, although according to the prevailing theory, the Latin alphabet derives from the Greek and
the morphology and structure in general of the Latin
language are based on Ancient Greek,

they claim equal historical and temporal origins with

the Ancient Greek language.

, , ,
,
, 4.000 . .

Whereas, simple plain logic dictates that it was transit trade that spread the primordial knowledge of
language to primitive man, the literature chose to
construct a fantastic theory built on non-existent nomadic populations, the existence of which it placed
in around 4.000 BC.

, , , , 8.000
. .,
.

Even on the basis of this fantastic scenario, it should

be noted that, according to archaeology, in around
8000 BC the primordial civilisation of the Cypriots was
at a remarkable level of civilisation for its time.

,
,

. ,

.

Specifically, these ancient people were constructing organised housing units, decorating the inside
walls with paintings and making themselves beautiful
with primitive jewellery. In addition, the hundreds of
years of maturity which came before this civilisation
reached the level described above, are not taken
into account.

6.000
,
,
, , ; ,
, :

Why then would this emerging civilisation have had

to freeze its development for up to 6000 years, that
is, until the literature had invented the so-called IndoEuropean races, which supposedly discovered it and
brought knowledge to it? And how ridiculous and nave it sounds when we read in the literature:

, (
),
. 2000 . .
. 19

A branch of the Indo-Europeans, the Greeks (the name

of course is much later) wandered for many centuries over
the plains of central Europe and the northern Balkans. However, around 2000 BC they began to move in waves towards the southern end of the peninsula. 19

, -, 2000 ..
, , 13 10 .. ,
.

And of all the absurdities, this so-called branch of the

Indo-Europeans, arrived in Greece in 200 BC to bring
civilisation, which later on, between the 13th and
10th centuries BC came to Cyprus via the Achaeans.

, :
, , ,
20,

.

What does the literature have to say when we put

forward the fact that at the time when this so-called
branch of the Indo-Europeans was supposedly wandering over the plains of central Europe and the
northern Balkans, during that very same time, the
Greeks in Cyprus were operating organised industrial
units20 , and had invented the syllabic script in order
to record their Greek language?

19.

19.

, . . , .

20

. www.pyrgos-mavroraki.net

24

History of the Greek Language, designed and edited by M. Z. Kopidakis, Athens

 , ,
.
,

, . ,

.

That is why, in lieu of bibliography, I am citing my

identity as author. I admit that I do not belong to the
academic community, but I do claim the right to put
forward my point of view, feeling as I do a part of this
history, which though distant is nonetheless inseparable from the present. As a counterweight to academic knowledge I place the simple human logic
with which God endowed us.

, ,
,
, `
, ,
,
.

Thus, being a part of this history, but on the basis of a

simple logical outlook, I cannot accept outrageous
propositions which are reproduced and by extension imposed, through the system of scientific papers,
where any view and interpretation is accepted as
long as it is documented by citing the bibliography.

,
,
.
, .
.
, , .

I am not blaming the scientific system, but reason tells

us that the only people who do not make mistakes
are those who do not produce any work. Those who
produce little work make few mistakes and those who
produce much work make many mistakes. However,
those who produce a large volume of work are considered important scientific figures. Under the weight
of their personalities, any views and ideas they put
forward are taken by later scholars as being valid,
and are reproduced and gradually become accepted as fact.

, , ,
, ,
.

, . ,
, , .

The centuries-old living tradition, of which I am a part,

as well as common logic suggest that from the beginning the good Lord placed the Greeks in these two
lands which have been so blessed by nature, where
they produced civilisation; a civilisation which was
spread by the traders like a divine gift to all peoples,
ancient and modern. Therefore, the smallest token of
respect that the world literature owes them is not to
forge their history.

,
,
,
, .

And in order to compel the international bibliography to recognise Greek civilisation as the first primordial pool of knowledge, from which almost all
ancient civilisations drew, it is necessary first that the
Greek bibliography should shoulder its share of the responsibility, and shed light on the gaps which relate
to the deepest roots of Hellenism, and where ancient
Cyprus is a main factor behind the birth of Hellenism.

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