Greek Language

language · ancient history · Europe

Super ancient. Greek has been written down for at least 3,400 years, longer than almost any other language in the world. That means people were writing Greek when pyramids were already old.

Greek alphabet. The alphabet you might see in math class (alpha, beta, gamma) is the Greek alphabet, and people have been using it for about 2,800 years. Before that, Greeks used different writing systems called Linear B and the Cypriot syllabary.

Spread across lands. Greek wasn't just spoken in Greece. For thousands of years, Greek speakers lived in places like Cyprus, Egypt, Turkey, Italy, and around the Black Sea. This happened because Greeks traveled, traded, and settled in many parts of the world.

Language family member. Greek belongs to the Indo-European family of languages, which includes English, Spanish, Hindi, and many others. It's the only language that forms its own special branch within this huge family.