Britannica Sources used in this answer

When did Greeks begin using the alphabet?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Thematic map of Eurasia showing the approximate geographic distribution of Indo-European language families, each represented by a different color. Areas include Celtic in western Europe, Germanic in northern and central Europe, Romance in southwestern Europe, Slavic in eastern Europe and Russia, and Indo-Iranian languages in South Asia. Non-Indo-European language regions and areas of common bilingualism are also indicated. — Greek language Approximate locations of Indo-European languages in contemporary Eurasia.

The Greeks began using the alphabet in the 8th century BCE, at the latest, by borrowing and adapting the Phoenician alphabet through commercial contacts. While it is possible the adoption occurred even earlier, the earliest datable Greek inscriptions—found on the Dipylon vase in Athens and Nestor’s cup in Ischia—originate from approximately 725 BCE.1

It is important to note that this alphabetic system was distinct from the earlier Mycenaean writing system, which was a syllabic script used during the 2nd millennium BCE that fell out of use by the 12th century BCE. Following the collapse of the Mycenaean palaces, there was a period of several centuries where the Greeks appear to have been illiterate before the introduction of the alphabet.21

The primary innovation of the Greek alphabet was the adaptation of certain consonantal signs into independent vowel signs, creating a system that accurately represented the Greek language's phonology.321