What was the importance of the Phoenician alphabet?

Answer 1

Actually, the alphabet was not "Phoenician" per se. That is, it was NOT the Phoenicians who invented it. Rather the Phoenicians of the 1st millennium BC continued to use a form of the ancient Semitic alphabet for perhaps a millennium before that (going back to a form called "Proto-Sinaitic" used in the Sinai region).

The importance of the Phoenicians is that, as TRADERS plying the waters of the Mediterranean (Phoenicia consisted of north Syrian port cities, esp. Tyre) they took the alphabet with them and SPREAD it around the Mediterranean world, esp. to the Greeks and Etruscans and through the later to the Romans. From these the alphabet spread throughout Europe and eventually across the world.

Answer 2

In Social Studies we are learning about Ancient time or whatever. On one page they were talkign about Phoenicia(i think) and they was the Phoenician alphabet and me and my best friend Kailey memorizied it. Now, we use it as a secret language for notes to pass in Advisory. It's pretty simple to learn, really!

Answer 3

Hey I learned about that in Social Studies. I'm having a test on that tomorrow and other lessons!!
Here's the deal. It was a big contribution. It was important because it was short. Basically it was one sound for one letter. There were only 22 letters and it was a basis for later alphabets. Hope I helped, I studied that like an hour ago. : )

Answer 4

The Phoenicians, couldn't write their history down with out it!

Answer 5

It was the starting point for the Latin and Greek alphabet and the two of them are the basis for every language in the West

Answer 6

It allowed them to communicate, probably real important to them. :) Or do you mean what is its importance to us today?

Hooked on "phonics" worked for me....sound familiar?