Spread of the Phoenician Alphabet

Timeline

1. c. -1050–-950Byblos · PhoeniciaPhoenician merchant city-states developed a standardized writing system of about 22 consonantal letters on the basis of the Canaanite alphabetic tradition; inscriptions appear at Byblos, Tyre, and elsewhere, laying the foundation for outward spread.
2. c. -950–-900Eastern Mediterranean · Eastern MediterraneanPhoenician merchant ships and colonial outposts brought the alphabetic script to Cyprus, the Levantine interior, and the Aegean coast, where local merchants, artisans, and officials began to adopt or adapt the Phoenician letters for recording transactions and administrative affairs.
3. c. -900–-800Aegean region · AegeanThe Greeks borrowed the Phoenician alphabet and added vowel signs, forming the Greek alphabet; it later passed through the Etruscans to Rome and evolved into the Latin alphabet, laying the writing foundation for most modern Western scripts.