Sardinian script

writing system

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July 13, 2026

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The Sardinian script was a variety of the Phoenician alphabet used on the island of Sardinia. It emerged around the 9th century BCE as a colonial script derived from the Phoenician alphabet, which itself developed from the North Semitic alphabet. This script was spread by Phoenician traders throughout the Mediterranean.1

The Phoenician alphabet, including its Sardinian variant, was primarily a consonantal script, meaning it represented only consonants and was written from right to left. While the shapes of the letters could vary, the fundamental structure and phonetic values remained consistent with its Semitic ancestor. The Phoenician alphabet is considered the likely ancestor of the Greek alphabet and, subsequently, all Western alphabets.1

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Phoenician alphabet
…Cypro-Phoenician (10th–2nd century bce) and Sardinian (c. 9th century bce) varieties. A third variety of the colonial Phoenician script evolved into the Punic and neo-Punic alphabets of Carthage, which continued to be written until about the 3rd century ce. Punic was a monumental script and neo-Punic a cursive form.
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…Cypro-Phoenician (10th–2nd century bce) and Sardinian (c. 9th century bce) varieties. A third variety of the colonial Phoenician script evolved into the Punic and neo-Punic alphabets of Carthage, which continued to be written until about the 3rd century ce. Punic was a monumental script and neo-Punic a cursive form.
Read More