Aramaic was used to write text in the language of the same name, in which trade transactions were conducted in the Middle East from about 1000 BC. e. and until 1000 g. e. It comes from Phoenician writing. Since evolution from one to another has been a continuous process for approximately 2000 years, it is difficult to divide them into separate Phoenician and Aramaic blocks. However, scientists agree that the differences between them began around the 8th century BC. The letter used in Western Europe and the Mediterranean is called Phoenician, and the one used in the Middle East, Central and South Asia is called Aramaic.
The language of the Persian Empire
Aramaic was official in the Achaemenid Empire from the 5th to the 3rd century BC. e. It was used in the territory of modern Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Macedonia, Iraq, the north of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria and some parts of Egypt. Aramaic writing was so widespread that it survived the collapse of the Persian Empire and continued to be used until the 2nd century AD. Toward the end of the 3rd century, other forms emerged from this alphabet, which formed the basis of the Syriac, Nabatean and Pamir scripts.
The Persian form of Aramaic, which has changed the least, is now used in Hebrew. The italic Hebrew version developed in the first centuries of the AD. e., but it was used only in a narrow circle. In contrast, italics, developed on the basis of the Nabataean alphabet in the same period, soon became the standard and was used in developing Arabic scripts. This happened during the early spread of Islam.
Aramaic writing and its writing
In Aramaic they wrote from right to left, making spaces between words. The abjad system was used: each of the twenty-two letters represented a consonant. Since the interpretation of some words was ambiguous when no vowels were entered, Aramaic scribes began to use some of the existing consonants to indicate long vowels (first at the end of the words, then inside). Letters having this double consonant / vowel function are called matres lectionis. The letters waw and yudh can represent consonants [w] and [j], respectively, or long vowels [u / o], [i / e], respectively. Similarly, the letter “alaf” represents a consonant [ʔ] at the beginning of a word or a long vowel [a / e] elsewhere.
Another feature of Aramaic writing is the presence of a section sign to indicate thematic headings in the texts. Aramaic spelling was very systematic. Often the spelling of words more accurately reflected their etymology than pronunciation.
Above is a photo of Aramaic writing. This is a rare manuscript, namely the ancient Syrian manuscript about Rikin Al Kiddas (holy power). It also contains an Arabic script and a note that this manuscript was purchased by Abraham Ben Jacob.
Aramaic Font Branches
Aramaic writing serves as the basis of various alphabets, which eventually began to be used by many peoples in the Middle East. One example is a square Jewish font.
Another important Aramaic branch is Nabatean, which eventually turned into Arabic script, replacing the old fonts of Arabia, such as South Arabic and Tamudic.
In addition, it is Aramaic writing that is believed to have influenced the development of fonts in India. Many of the characters in the writing of charisma and brahmi have some similarities with the letters in the Aramaic alphabet. It is not clear what the exact relationship between the Indian and Aramaic languages is, but the latter was definitely known in northwestern India, and to some extent it influenced the development of writing in South Asia.
Another important branch of Aramaic writing was the Pahlavi font, which in turn developed Avestan and Sogdian. The Sogdian script, which is used in Central Asia, has branched out into the Uyghur, Mongolian, and Manchu alphabets.
As you can see, the Aramaic language was a kind of base in the history of the development of writing in Asia. He spawned recording systems used by many countries in completely different geographical locations.
Modern Aramaic
Today, biblical texts, including the Talmud, are written in Hebrew. Syriac and Neo-Aramaic dialects are written using the Syriac alphabet.
Due to the almost complete identity of the Aramaic and the classical Hebrew alphabet, the Aramaic text in the scientific literature is mainly typed in standard Hebrew.
Dreidel letters
Dreidel is a spinning top that is used for games during the Hanukkah festival. There are four Hebrew / Aramaic letters on it: shin, hey, gimel, nun / gamal, heh, noon, pe.
The custom of the Dreidle game is based on the legend that, at the time of the Maccabees, when Jewish children were forbidden to study the Torah, they still circumvented the ban and studied. As the Greek official approached, they tidied up their books and twisted spinning tops, claiming they were just playing games.
The written characters on Dreidel are the first letters in the Hebrew phrase meaning "a great miracle happened there," that is, on the land of Israel. In Israel, the letter “pe” (for the Hebrew word “po” which means “here”) replaces the letter shin to describe “the great miracle that happened here”.