Interdisciplinarity in Archaeology and Historical Linguistics: the case of ALPHA

Abstract

RESUMO: Through a comparative analysis of archaic Greek alphabets with Minoan hieroglyphs, the Linear A and B signs, the Cypro-Minoan and Classical Cypriot syllabaries, as well as other ancient scripts in Mediterranean and Mesopotamia areas (e.g., Egyptian hieroglyphs), the paper examines (a) the graphical shaping of the letter alpha, and (b) its suggested phonetic value throughout the years. In doing so, an interdisciplinary approach is applied, combining research from the areas of historical linguistics, epigraphy archaeology, and phonosemantics-linguistics. This is an ongoing research and its existing data so far combat the wide spread belief that the archaic Greek alphabet is originated by the Phoenician alphabet, demonstrating evidence of language similarities (in terms of (a), and (b)), even in early Neolithic Greece and the Balkans. The paper proposes the adoption of an interdisciplinary methodology in examining and revisiting research in epigraphy and historical linguistics. ABSTRACT: Through a comparative analysis of archaic Greek alphabets with the Minoan hieroglyphs, the Linear A and B signs, the Cypro-Minoan and Classical Cypriot syllabaries, as well as other ancient scripts in Mediterranean and Mesopotamia areas (e.g., Egyptian hieroglyphs), the paper examines (a) the graphical shaping of the letter alpha, and (b) its suggested phonetic value throughout the years. In doing so, an interdisciplinary approach is applied, combining research from the areas of historical linguistics, epigraphy archaeology, and phonosemantics-linguistics. This is an ongoing research and its existing data so far combat the wide spread belief that the archaic Greek alphabet is originated by the Phoenician alphabet, demonstrating evidence of language similarities (in terms of (a), and (b)), even in early Neolithic Greece and the Balkans. The paper proposes the adoption of an interdisciplinary methodology in examining and revisiting research in epigraphy and historical linguistics.