Aramaic alphabet (historically)

E27171

Semitic script abjad writing system

The Aramaic alphabet is an ancient consonantal script that originated in the Near East and became a major writing system of the Semitic world, serving as the ancestor of many later Middle Eastern and Central Asian alphabets.

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Observed surface forms (3)

Surface form	Occurrences
Aramaic alphabet	11
Aramaic script	6
Syriac alphabet	2

Statements (47)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Semitic script ⓘ abjad ⓘ writing system ⓘ
ancestorOf	Arabic alphabet (indirectly via Nabataean) ⓘ Avestan script ⓘ surface form: Avestan alphabet Hebrew alphabet ⓘ Mandaic alphabet ⓘ Manichaean script ⓘ Classical Mongolian script ⓘ surface form: Mongolian script Nabataean alphabet ⓘ Old Turkic script ⓘ Old Uyghur alphabet ⓘ Pahlavi scripts ⓘ Palmyrene alphabet ⓘ Sogdian alphabet ⓘ East Syriac script ⓘ surface form: Syriac alphabet
derivedFrom	Phoenician alphabet ⓘ
directionality	right-to-left ⓘ
historicalRole	lingua franca script of the Near East ⓘ
historicalStatus	extinct as primary script ⓘ
influenced	Central Asian writing systems ⓘ Middle Eastern writing systems ⓘ
numberOfLetters	22 ⓘ
originPlace	Ancient Mediterranean world ⓘ surface form: Ancient Near East
originRegion	Levant region ⓘ surface form: Levant
relatedTo	Hebrew alphabet ⓘ Phoenician alphabet ⓘ Syriac alphabet ⓘ
represents	consonants ⓘ
scriptCategory	abjad ⓘ
scriptFamily	Northwest Semitic ⓘ surface form: Northwest Semitic scripts
standardizedAs	Imperial Aramaic ⓘ surface form: Imperial Aramaic script
timePeriod	1st millennium BCE ⓘ
unicodeScriptName	Imperial Aramaic ⓘ surface form: Imperial_Aramaic
usedBy	Achaemenid Empire ⓘ surface form: Achaemenid administration Arameans ⓘ
usedForLanguage	Aramaic ⓘ surface form: Aramaic language Imperial Aramaic ⓘ various Northwest Semitic languages ⓘ
vowelNotation	matres lectionis for some vowels ⓘ primarily absent ⓘ
writingDirection	right-to-left ⓘ
writingMedium	clay tablets ⓘ papyrus ⓘ parchment ⓘ stone inscriptions ⓘ
writingSystemType	consonantal script ⓘ