Lycian Letter L

𐊍 marks the l sound in a Lycian word. The sound of 𐊍 is the l at the start of “leaf”; Latin l in scholarly transliteration is a reading aid, not the ancient sign.

The Lycian alphabet was used in southwestern Anatolia (now Turkey), alongside regional scripts such as Carian and Lydian. The three are closely related to Greek and probably adapted from it; extra signs were created or borrowed for sounds Greek lacked. Independent development remains possible for Carian. These scripts date to the first millennium BCE, and Lycian is attested from around 500 BCE to about 200 BCE.

Why does Lycian appear on tombs and coins?

It was used to write Lycian on lasting objects. The surviving record includes stone inscriptions, rock-cut tomb texts, coins, and other objects. Tomb inscriptions could name occupants, set burial rules, or threaten penalties for unauthorized burials. Some named enforcers have been interpreted as deities or religious institutions rather than merely civic officials.

Some monuments place Lycian beside Greek. In certain funerary texts, Greek seems to carry prestige or political weight while Lycian preserves a recognized burial formula; the roles vary by inscription. By around the beginning of the first century BCE, Greek had replaced Lycian as the region’s written language.