Iberian alphabet

Also known as: Iberic alphabet

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June 29, 2026

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The Iberian alphabet was a writing system used by the Iberian people of southern and eastern Spain. It was an adaptation of Greek and Phoenician scripts, though many characters' origins remain unknown. This alphabet, consisting of 28 characters, was used for inscriptions and coinage, primarily in the 3rd century BCE. While many inscriptions survive, the language itself, a non-Indo-European tongue, is largely undeciphered, with only place and personal names being understood. The Iberian alphabet was eventually replaced by the Latin alphabet following the Roman conquest.1

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Celto-Iberian language
…the western part of the Iberian Peninsula. Celto-Iberian was written in the Iberic script (borrowed from speakers of the non-Indo-European Iberian language in eastern and southern Spain) and is known primarily from a small number of coin inscriptions and an even smaller number of inscriptions on stone. Leading scholars believe…
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…the western part of the Iberian Peninsula. Celto-Iberian was written in the Iberic script (borrowed from speakers of the non-Indo-European Iberian language in eastern and southern Spain) and is known primarily from a small number of coin inscriptions and an even smaller number of inscriptions on stone. Leading scholars believe…
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Iberian
…coast it was written in Iberian script, a system of 28 syllabic and alphabetic characters, some derived from Greek and Phoenician systems but most of unknown origin. Many inscriptions in the script survive. Few words, however, except place-names on the coinage struck by many cities in the 3rd century bc,…
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…coast it was written in Iberian script, a system of 28 syllabic and alphabetic characters, some derived from Greek and Phoenician systems but most of unknown origin. Many inscriptions in the script survive. Few words, however, except place-names on the coinage struck by many cities in the 3rd century bc,…
Read More