The Cypriot Syllabary: Writing Before the Greek Alphabet

Long before the Greek alphabet spread across the Mediterranean, the island of Cyprus preserved a unique writing system: the Cypriot syllabary. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how this script, descended from the Bronze Age Linear C, survived the collapse of the Mycenaean world and continued to be used for over a thousand years alongside Greek. They discuss the puzzling Cypro-Minoan inscriptions, the famous Idalion Tablet, and the bilingual Phoenician-Cypriot texts that helped decipher the script. The conversation also touches on the cultural identity of the Cypriot kingdoms, the role of writing in administration and religion, and the eventual decline of the syllabary under Ptolemaic rule. A fascinating look at how literacy and power intertwined on the fringe of the Greek world. #CypriotSyllabary #Cyprus #LinearC #CyproMinoan #IdalionTablet #Phoenician #AncientScripts #Epigraphy #Kition #Paphos #SalamisCyprus #Ptolemaic #BronzeAge #IronAge #Decipherment #History #FexingoHistory #AncientGreece Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo