Carian Letter B

Scholars write its Carian sound as b. That Latin letter is a reading guide, not the Carian character itself or an English word. The Carian script probably adapted the Greek alphabet, though an independent development cannot be ruled out. Across the Carian alphabet, some signs resemble Greek forms but carry different sound values.

How did the Carian alphabet develop?

It grew as a regional alphabet for writing Carian. The oldest Carian inscription identified is a seventh century BCE figurine of Isis bearing Pharaoh Psamtik I's name. The record includes grave inscriptions, dedications to gods, ownership marks, graffiti, and official texts written in Carian alongside another language.

Local Carian alphabets varied, while surviving Egyptian forms are more uniform. Carian texts usually ran left to right; Egyptian texts more often ran right to left. Word dividers were uncommon. Carian-Egyptian inscriptions, with text in both languages, helped scholars decipher the script. In 1993, researchers established many sound values; a Carian-Greek inscription found in 1996 later confirmed the approach. Earlier readings had treated some Greek-looking signs as Greek-valued or the script as partly syllabic.