How did the present day alphabet come about?

The Latin alphabet and many other languages ​​are not simply the result of a whim. Like most languages, the letters will evolve naturally over the centuries. In the process the language would accumulate changes and give us the end result the alphabet as it is today.

A stone inscribed with Proto-Sinai.

The earliest evidence and origins of the current alphabet are found from Proto-Sinaitic script dating to about 3800 years ago. This alphabet is largely consonant, based mainly on Egyptian hieroglyphs. From this stage onwards, the letters will have different small changes and are gradually accumulated to give us a complete alphabet like today. We can take a look at this interesting evolution through the illustration below:

The process of formation and development of the Latin alphabet today.

By the time of the Ancient Greeks (about 750 BC) with the Ancient Greek script, the alphabet began to take the form it is today. Then, in 1 BC, the Romans standardized and turned the scrolls into the 'Codex' (precursor to today's books) which led to the advent of the Latin alphabet. This means that the Latin alphabet we are using was mostly 2000 years old.

A giant ancient Codex consisting of 481 pelts and weighing about 15kg.

However, at that time writing was still quite simple and rudimentary. It was not until more than two millennia later that it reached its true potential. When this stage is reached, the words will have the ability to influence and forever change the human process, such as the Constitution, Origin of Species, A Brief History of Time,. Currently, we only can imagine what will happen in the future. So, through the characters we have created, we can open up unlimited horizons before the eyes of mankind.