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Show Language Scholars Scholarsrace ScholarsTrace Trace race the Alphabet Alphabetac AlphabetBack Back ac to 2000 B . C . NEW NE\V NE V \ YORK . - Three m- m in- in mscnptIons inscriptions in inscriptions - scriptions scnptIons by the ancient Etrus Etrus- Etruscans Etruscans Etruscans - - cans , preserved in N New ew York Yorkand Yorkand Yorkand and Philadelphia museums , arehelping are arehelpmg arehelping helpmg helping to clear up one of the thepuzzles thepuzzles thepuzzles I puzzles of how the alphabet alphabetoriginated alphabetoriginated alphabetoriginated originated . The three pieces plcces ofwriting of writing writingnow , I now among museum treasures trea5ures of ofthis ofthis ofthis this country , suggest strongly stronly ; that thatthe thatthe thatthe the Romans Uomans got the alphabet letters lettersdlreetly lettersdirectly lettersdirectly dlreetly directly from the Greeks Greeh.s Greehs . . ' This 1hls has been one of the weal weak weakand weakand , . and uncertain links IIn1.s IIn1s . in the long Ion ; chainof chain chainof chainof of e\ e es evolution eolutlon \ olutlon elution through which scholars scholarstrace scholarstrace scholarstrace trace the modern alphabet ITom From ITommodern Frommodern Frommodern modern letters-In letters In letters - - In \ which sshlch hleh this nesss nesssp De newspiper " s sp p lper tper Is printed-the printed the printed - the evolubonary evolutionary evolubonarychanges evolutionarychanges evolutionarychanges changes go back through Latin I"nUn InUn " al alaphabet alaphabet alnphabet aphabet , Greek forms , Phoenician Phoeniclnn Phoenicianeven , even farther back toward toard " , a still stillOmen stillsomewhat stillsomewhat Omen somewhat ! hat m mysterious sterlous origin orlbln orlbin , per per- - haps perhaps near 2000 OOO B C in the Near NearDa.st NearEast NearEast Da.st Dast East Da.stOrlgan EastOrigin . Orlom Orlgan Origin of Latin Latin.For LatinFor . ror For many years , language stu students students students dents have argued arg-ued arg ued - 0 over ' er two rIval rIvaltheories rivaltheories rivaltheories theories as to \ wliere where here the Latin al alphnbet alphabet alphabet phnbet phabet \ was vsas \ as borrowed One faction factionsaid factionsaid factionsaid said t the e Romans caught the Idea Ideafrom ideafrom ideafrom from Greek Greeh colonists in la southern southernItaly southernItaly southernItaly Italy . Another faction thought thoughtth'1t thoughtthat thoughtthat th'1t th1t that ' Rome's Romes ' near neighbors nelhbors . ; , the theLtruscans theLtruscans theLtruscans Ltruscans , were the ! people leople who gave Rome gaveRome Inspiration for an alphabet . Now IAow ow , It appears that the Etrus Etrus- Dtru Etruscans Etruscans , > - - cans cnns can be left out of the nlphabet alphabet nlphabetpicture alphabetpicture alphabetpicture picture In iii this direct line hne of succes succesblon succesLion succesfelon succesfelonThe blon Lion blonThe LionThe The Etruscans Dtruscans , , who rose to pow pow- power power power - er In Italy about auout 800 500 years before beforeChrist beforeChrist beforeChrist Christ , h ii hive n is e a proved one of the most mostb'1ffling mostbattling mostbaffling b'1ffling b1ffling battling ' of nnclcnt nnclent ancient peoples to under under- understand understand . - stand |