11 beautiful alphabets from ancient and medieval times
Go way beyond Helvetica
From simple to ornate, from angular to curvy, from lines to ribbons and animal heads, go way beyond Helvetica with these 11 samples from The Book of Ornamental Alphabets.
1. Eighth and ninth centuries. Anglo-Saxon.
2. 10th century. British Museum.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. 11th century, and numerals.
4. 13th century, from Latin MS.
5. 14th century. Date about 1340.
6. 15th and 16th centuries. Ornamental Riband.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
7. 16th century. Henry the Eighth. MS.
8. 16th century. Gothic. MS.
9. 16th century. Gothic. MS.
10. 17th century. MS.
11. 16th century.
Arika Okrent is editor-at-large at TheWeek.com and a frequent contributor to Mental Floss. She is the author of In the Land of Invented Languages, a history of the attempt to build a better language. She holds a doctorate in linguistics and a first-level certification in Klingon. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Trump declares 'golden age' at indoor inauguration
In the Spotlight Donald Trump has been inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Where in the world to hop on a hot air balloon
The Week Recommends Float above California vineyards, Swiss Alps and the plains of the Serengeti
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
'The death and destruction happening in Gaza still dominate our lives'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published