c. 700 BCEReputable sourceWell documented
The Latin Alphabet
On the timeline · around c. 700 BCE ·
What happened
The Romans, borrowing from the Greeks by way of the Etruscans, developed the Latin alphabet. As Rome's empire spread, so did its letters, becoming the script of the Western Roman world and the Catholic Church, and evolving over time into the familiar alphabet used across much of the globe.
Why it matters
The Latin alphabet is by far the most widely used writing system in the world today — the script of English and hundreds of other languages. Its spread through the Roman Empire and later European colonization made it truly global.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Writing: The Preservation of Human Thought · Reputable source
Related timelines
- Ancient Rome → — The Roman letters used across the world today