% bsample.tex    Samples of archaic fonts
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{phoenician}
\usepackage{greek6cbc}
\usepackage{greek4cbc}
\usepackage{etruscan}
\usepackage{runic}
\usepackage{linearb}
\usepackage{cypriot}

%\newcommand{\ABC}{ABCDEFGHIJKL MNOPQRSTUVWXYZ}
\newcommand{\abc}{abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz}

\newcommand{\BC}{\textsc{bc}}
\newcommand{\AD}{\textsc{ad}}

\title{Archaic Font Sampler}
\author{Peter Wilson\\ \texttt{peter.r.wilson@boeing.com}}
\date{5 July 1999}
\begin{document}
\maketitle
\tableofcontents

\section{Introduction}

    This document provides some samples of the archaic fonts. They are
available from CTAN in the \texttt{fonts/archaic} directory. The fonts
form a set that display how the Latin alphabet and script evolved from the
initial Phoenician letters until Roman times.

    The fonts consist of letters only --- punctuation had not been invented
during this period, neither, effectively, had numerals. The fonts are all
single-cased. Upper- and lower-case letters were again only invented after
the end of this period.

    Other fonts are also available for some scripts that were not on the
alphabetic tree.

\clearpage
\section{Phoenician}

    The Phoenician alphabet and script dates from about 1000~\BC. 
The Phoenecians wrote right to left. The script is provided in both a
left to right and a right to left form. The alphabet consisted of
22 letters. The font provided actually includes a 23rd letter as
the \textit{vau} character had two forms: \textphnc{V} and \textphnc{F}.

    The font and package are in the \texttt{phoenician} subdirectory.

\begin{center}
\phncfamily
ABGDEFVZH\TTheta IKLMN\TXi OP\Tsade QRST \\
tsrq\tsade po\tXi nmlki\tTheta hzvfedgba
\end{center}

\section{Greek}

    The Greeks used the Phoenician script and alphabet as a basis for their
own writing. In the earliest times the Greeks used to alternate the writing
direction for successive lines, but later settled down to writing left to 
right. Two forms of the Greek script are provided. 

The earlier one is representative of about the sixth century~\BC, when the
Greek alphabet consisted of 26 letters.
    The font and package are in the \texttt{greek6cbc} subdirectory.

\begin{center}
\gvibcfamily
ABGDEFZH\TTheta IKLMN\TXi OPQRSTUX\TPhi\TPsi\TOmega
\end{center}

   The later script is representative of the fourth century~\BC, when the
alphabet had been reduced to the 24 letters in use today.
    The font and package are in the \texttt{greek4cbc} subdirectory.

\begin{center}
\givbcfamily
ABGDEZH\TTheta IKLMN\TXi OPRSTUX\TPhi\TPsi\TOmega 
%%abgdezh\tTheta iklmn\tXi oprstux\tPhi\tPsi\tOmega
\end{center}

\section{Etruscan}

    The Etruscans, who were the precursors of the Romans in Italy, based their
alphabet and script on the Phoenicain and Greek models. Like the Phoenicians,
they wrote right to left. In their turn, the Romans based their alphabet on
the Etruscan one, but they wrote right to left and provided the forms of
our capital letters.

    The script is provided in both a left to right and a right to left form
and is representative of about the eighth century~\BC.
    The font and package are in the \texttt{etruscan} subdirectory.

\begin{center}
\etrfamily
ABGDEFZH\TTheta IKLMN\TXi OP\Tsade QRSTUX\TPhi\TPsi 8\\
8\tPsi\tPhi xutsrq\tsade po\tXi nmlki\tTheta hzfedgba
\end{center}
    

\section{Runic}

    The \textit{futharc} alphabet (named, like ours, after the first few letters)
was a script used in Northern Europe until after the Middle Ages, when it
died out after printing was invented. It has glyphs that are reminiscent of
some of those in the other scripts shown here, but some are wildly different.
I have included it because it has the \textit{wen} character, \textfut{W},
which is the first appearance of a character for the `W' sound. Also, it
has the \textit{ger} character, \textfut{J}, which corresponds to the modern
`J' sound --- `J' did not appear in the Latin alphabet until about the mid
1500's.

    The Anglo-Saxon version of the font and package are in the \texttt{runic} 
subdirectory.

\begin{center}
\futfamily
FU\Fthorn ARKGWHNIJYPXSTBEML\Fng DO
\end{center}

\section{Linear B}

    The \textit{Linear B} script was a syllabary that was used during the 
approximate period between 1600 and 1200~\BC{} for writing the Mycenaean Greek
dialect. Most examples of the script come from Crete, and in particular from
Knossos. The script was deciphered in 1953 by Michael Ventris with assistance
from John Chadwick.

    The script consists of some 60 basic signs, 16 optional signs, and about
11 signs that have yet to be deciphered. The script also had signs for numbers
(1--1000), and signs for various kinds of weights and measures. There were
also sets of signs for different kinds of trade goods, such as pots or wool.
Although Linear B was used for writing Greek, there is no other relationship
between this ancient script and the Greek alphabet.

    The Metafont script includes only the basic, optional, unidentified,
and number signs. The font and package are in the \texttt{linearb}
subdirectory. The basic signs are illustrated below.

\begin{center}
\renewcommand{\baselinestretch}{1.2}
\linbfamily
a e i o u 
d D f g x 
j J b L
k K c h v
m M y A B
n N C E F
p P G H I
q Q X 8
r R O U V
s S Y 1 2
t T 3 4 5
w W 6 7
z Z 9

\end{center}


\section{Cypriot}

    The \textit{Cypriot} script was a syllabary used in Cyprus during the
approximate period between 1000 and 200~\BC{} for writing Greek. It has a 
relationship to Linear~B as it includes some of the same signs. Towards
the end of its life few people could read the script, so inscriptions
were written using both the syllabary and the Greek alphabetic characters.
These bilinguals made it relatively easy to decipher the script, a task that
was essentially completed by the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

    Like Linear B, the Cypriot script has no relationship with the Greek
alphabet apart from the fact that both can be used for writing the same
language.

    The script consisted of 55 signs. The Metafont source and package is
in the \texttt{cypriot} subdirectory.

\begin{center}
\renewcommand{\baselinestretch}{1.2}
\cyprfamily
a e i o u
g
j b
k K c h v
l L d f q
m M y A B
n N C E F
p P G H I
r R O U V
s S Y 1 2
t T 3 4 5
w W 6 7
x X z
9

\end{center}



\end{document}

