Greek and Roman Alphabets

The Greeks borrowed greatly from the Semitic alphabets, and introduced two important features:

• The use of written vowels (unnecessary in Semitic languages); and,
• The convention of writing from left to right.

Before the Greek alphabet was standardized, one variant was introduced to the Italian peninsula, and later became the Roman alphabet that we still use today.

• Early Greek Alphabet: How Greeks solved the vowel problem
• Early Greek Alphabet: "As The Ox Turns In Plowing"
• Ulfilas adapted the Greek and Roman alphabets for Visigoth
• Gutenberg applied moveable type to the Roman script