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Creation of the Glagolitic Alphabet

Type Event Region Central Europe Time 863

Around 863, the missionary Cyril (Constantine) created the Glagolitic alphabet, the earliest Slavic script, based on Greek letters to translate the B…

Timeline

  1. 863En route from Byzantium to Moravia · Great MoraviaDrawing on the Greek alphabet and the phonetic needs of the local languages, Cyril designed the Glagolitic alphabet to cover the Slavic sound system, laying the groundwork for written translation.
  2. 863–865Great Moravian mission field · Great MoraviaThe new alphabet was immediately used to translate Gospels and liturgical books and for school teaching, allowing Slavic Christian literature to circulate; it later spread to Bulgaria and elsewhere and evolved into the Cyrillic alphabet.

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