Die Erfindung des Vokalalphabets – auf See

Who invented the vowel alphabet? Did it come from the Danube culture to the south, was it brought by the Phoenicians along their trade routes, or does it have its roots in the Semitic languages of the Near East? Was it Homer who created it single-handedly while composing the Iliad and the Odyssey? What is clear is that around 800 BC, the vowel alphabet spread from the eastern Mediterranean. In many cultural theories, literacy and democratization are closely linked: the massive reduction of necessary characters alongside an enormous expansion of what can be expressed with them marks a turning point in history. Klaus Theweleit takes up the threads with precision and vigor. The vowel alphabet, according to his speculative reconstruction, is an invention of Greek traders and pirates who could no longer steer towards any fixed home port. On stormy seas, the vowel simply works better. The epics memorized in the meter of the hexameter became the central means of communication of belonging. "The Invention of the Vowel Alphabet – at Sea" is a thrilling journey to the origins of European culture.