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52 aisury Contents unn <§> unn to unn en dhusimsa: oocuunuQryryi aiyahunJohusnaO auimonusluaossrunu onusTlny lioofiulnu \"isunun • dhusuTsiivj \\*)g< • dhiissssuaiuu\"! d& • dhiismw ©to na:e5hiisws\"ihu • dhusrioucnfjeiolna CTMot • dniisvtfntnu dot • dhusiinunonuna <§>£ • dhliSFIQUri cnen • dnuslna ata1 • dhiissssuoaiu cftn • dniisnnuiefejo \\sac* • dhusinoinns md. • dnyslri£juo£j cfai/ Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 • Pictograph 1 Indian Alphabets, Origin of Thai Alphabets: Dialectal Thai Alphabets • Ideograph Alphabets in Suvarnabhumi A Fountain of Wisdom • Lanna Dhamma 85 • Phonograph 1 24 • Kharoshthi and 29 • Before the Creation 39 Alphabet Brahmi Alphabets of Thai Alphabet • Fak Khaam Alphabet 89 • Grantha Alphabet 33 • Thai Alphabets 49 • Isan Dhamma Alpha bet 93 • Devanagari Alphabet 34 • Thai Noi Alphabet 97

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1 , % %+ u *« mam ©ni.moo tlyHiai \\uniifinariBfittasijwtinfiin»4?i«fiinHifBaiin^ii3,U3iJDT5« The painted walls of the interconnected series of caves in Lascaux in southwestern France are among the most impressive and well-known artistic creations of Paleolithic humans. Aged about 1 7,300 years, the paintings are evidence of human effort to record and communicate their ideas.

OflliS Vila miillU&JU ?ia ?siiijanjani*mam3ufliuYmfla*fn»'i ,wfl \"Alphabets\" or \"written languages\" are a rlijn^vT^'unfuw'ii.vlatil'ut'FilaNaSalurii'ii^^alaei'ii tuawnrnirmeiCiTjasirfa symbolic system developed by human beings to use as tools in communications representing luimlanmiecin^murmru an^'i^i.iluai'SEJSiiw^nuan^'airiiinflcl'i'Fi'nj arm? spoken languages. Since spoken languages occasionally have constraints in some situations, / \"alphabets\" therefore represented a significant advance for civilization. in^mta^Jl'Fmmrhuri anyT^3fi ^3l,llu^! |f11a^3Sal'um^illna^^wu5'^'3W ^aaeH'u Some types of ancient alphabets originated as fnimTfaen'N 6 ma^3^^nanw1l,flnfl1W•1^,^iJur1^^£Jlv1J4uy^a'^^^'^fll^uf1n^,1a^3'^^l ) tools to transmit knowledge about cultures and beliefs down through generations. Alphabets are ik^urmm ^iliyiaini^a^wEHunau 6 IgUitCluadn^^ ToVlvlau^uij'uvi^ tools enabling human beings to record stories and ] experiences, or describe the arts and sciences of previous generations, allowing succeeding eni^mmlfjuiu.e^liijyia^iyitnni^nva'n WvTwunm^aliflli generations to learn and inherit knowledge for further development. v Alphabets evolved gradually because originally, ni'?n'ii,S^',uaN3anM''5^S9ni2)'fU\"fiaiJtilu iFia!J lil imisi^mlj^wLiliJl,!) humans did not anticipate written languages after they developed spoken languages. However, due ipneirmsvm tSaCi mUTUUFI ^nn u< ,ulia>3S/iiii'it^!JUti^i,'ua>3^nn^ ifi^wuii^i to their social lifestyle when people lived in caves and were close to nature, they desired to record fladlunivila^i^i^adnusujj'Hii (.^aviiiivlnvila^waniiaNal^lu^i^ili^^niu what they routinely saw or touched as parts of their tfiuih^n aTn^a^miu'U'nni^n'uli tvlatQudinvi'Uval'uni'jiJ'jsnaii'wsn'aiwvila ritual ceremonies or communications and tvla^^^aiaai'au^^asiJifj'FniuvijjnEJinvaili^m'? ani^wlNvT^unnnTimi.iiupJ'n^ descriptions. Therefore \"alphabets\" began to riNfiTiNriNntfl^a^ustasnawmi develop their forms according to the capabilities and needs of each individual community. 4/ The development process from \"spoken fiTiuein«TifiT,urnivT«w ,unm^TiN^ wncnfiijniiluanmvna/nirulfimuu languages\" to \"alphabets\" or \"written languages\" Hnemiivrm ^^^^nadnllvT^n^n^1l>L^\"«niJ/11vglla^3u^^\"ndw ,Buf1e!I^l^l1'^^l^1^3 consumed a long time depending on the vv sophistication and potential of each group to invent t^1aN3^atv1atil^iurin^aN3«niHi'w^^aari^'5 Llivi1a LiJ t <vN?ns;unv3rid^i o&u^i,vvijv3 tools to represent spoken languages. Some lavnsfnwwmvhuu IwdfiThrH^u uriin^naNmrnansin^N-mi^wflihsshnajj communities have only spoken languages, while u a >w manual nanwn^nvT^unrin^ni.^EJW^u^ntvlatiluacyanid'ml^uYiw/inwnvj^ others were able to develop their own \"written languages\" to represent their spoken languages. naini,ilwfifl^Qjajnau^najaan^^a>3 3Ju»in,uyflIiJ^nm^unei'3?ta1nja£Jn'3S>3uas The development of \"alphabets\" or \"written languages\" followed a number of stages and vT<aj ,unnmja>3ani!Hvi1a/ni=('iiJ ^tJul'uI^n £janimcfiami)ufiaEjlil^^nfijfnw < reflects the wisdom of ancient humans. 'ijaN3 NUttmtriasndjj'Bn^vuis ijn>anaijan«n^nvT«wun ?»'uSriny'\"i ,w^i,i9sSani*'3H(,2u v s s si v anj^n^fuil^^nn^^iivTus^uta^ u^ijn>3ndijljJan«n^nwajunT.<MSan^'3i> l£j u, lli AThai Scripts: 730-Year History 11

oniismw The word \"pictograph\" means \"a drawing or •Frnn OTIUSmUU (Pictograph) vijnufk iLbieivnaiil/nw f\\u 8®i picture of humans, animals or objects describing events or ways of life\". Such pictorial evidence of ima^ ^m^EnimNnvieirmcu ifi°tnei fmmfluad^a^w!n,ufijfm u, e ai^s the way people lived in different time periods can q qj q q J] be found on cave walls, cliffs or stone slates. The <U i writing tools ranged from human organs to colors derived from nature. What resulted were drawings ilrin^fliuwifoth vmim vnawwvwu I^inG^l$luniiilimai^ib£naiiln£j that communicated frankly what their creators were seeing, hence the term \"pictograph\". aisnsiia^jm^ma^laivillmnsi's^Tnii ^viibTn/i^wan^mail'U'aib'iei With a desire to tell their stories, send aaemN'WNn&fl'j'aenN'nJ.rnw ilarm aVwsm'VN messages or explain the ways of living in their communities to other communities, ancient people i qj i created symbols at various places. Many examples have been found in Thailand. They include pictures ma^in^w^'u^Tu'numu SfnnNliasmiiiamphi.la^'rn limam ma of huge fish and fish catching tools at Phaa Taem in Khong Chiam District, Ubon Ratchathani asiii£j i^aia^iniJVijjTEJii'i'aadn^luifi^i^'FiinjJi.fluad'iia^nei^'Hu^'ui.a'a'l'M Province, or pictures of red bulls at Phu Phan Noi in Ban Phue District, Udon Thani Province. mamiAmuGW nnvnimaa aimamuwa Q-/ *LJ vnafiTVNinjiuwvi Archaeologists believe that these pictographs were created as parts of ritual ceremonies rather than for ^vneiaeiisTU communications. Yifnenem aiinaiwa^ ^<LSvn<^LS manuiil ^Ymfuaim'u Limrm armimw It is clear, however, that pictographs on cave qj q walls in different parts of the world contained i 1/ i i significant messages that were intended for unlu-nmeilauufcrnvm un^isiflurin'W'ni^iiu^'ui.'waiiluaiuviu^lunn'jiJ'isinaij communication purposes. This depended on the intent of the people of the period and with whom wsn^wannnQiwamtftaenaiagm they wanted to communicate. lufiiimili^lxmln aTim/nwriilrin^nNwutfnVlmmijfl™ 6 °uaN3*tanu u, ) We can assume that pictographs are the fiwiJ/uasUTlIm un^swn£jan^njmam -5iaan v original model or origin of the development of \"alphabets\" or \"written languages\" of subsequent si-<M , LjJjJTnn ,ua?j Tmadniri\"! generations. However, the exact origins of \"written languages\" or \"alphabets\" remain inconclusive. 5a£Jij'i>3 QJ qj qj ^mi^uafmu6 llit^Ejn/iivNtvidiuulimaiaaiimjl'fi? uriiwYicnilWiaaViwfn'w ] 1s ui^aQwimkiJiJVilaLflu^mf^lmvh\"^ tuafieiaan ^T.mia'm'iuwasm'Fm w&inuni^im^l^Gn^ntnvn^atjlHla^ nnLW/in^Ti^EJvivila^nah^lin^'ijj A12 Thai Scripts: 730-Year History

fnm!i?mitaawuw&awEjriauihs^iTiafl?wwiuww aii/ialiMiluw ^WTViauarrfisiu a\"mm m,ooo-e?,ooo i) Pre-historic cave paintings at Pha Taem National Park, Khong Chiam District, Ubon Ratchathani, aged around 3,000-4,000 years.

iiwufiuaanitluiilalnw^uliiinma&nifl^flivu ®ia pfaarm? flaitim iato®-ioob tlriaufllaeima A stone slab with twelve small seal characters of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).

n oniisiinuFioiuna frm OniiSlinUFIOlURF) (Ideograph) vunas™ i il n m^ml a en mlm The word \"ideograph\" means a series of T^5w^uimiwn^inani2K3,rnw u>^l1aVmm^mia£n^mjinnrm u>ccihsvi?jVi pictures or line patterns representing certain symbols or meanings that can be communicated ncntufmiijim an^^^i^iifi^^wi'w^'nw'FiiiiJviwi&j'ntiln'Fii'iw'un^^vila within a specific group. Ideographs are considered to evolved from \"pictographs\" but with shorter and LSmna-JSTja-AwnEj iTJwh'h fimajfi 'emuera mnuin Lilwiu more precise characters, which helped save writing time. Moreover, they could be used to represent ahm^anwi^Smjuinn^jJisinan^'auriU'fiii^^^'U limn arm'snjiJ'u words with \"abstract\" meanings such as the words \"virtue, happiness, love\". am?mnivili tilwm Alphabets that originated from ideographs eiam ^ui^Cmwunnn^wnnw^Naw^uianm/iivuta include Chinese, Japanese and Korean scripts. i As they became more evolved, humans a hi unu^n ijj^^i l#£anHm£^mLa::n^'5'imin''u u, wauvm developed pictographs and ideographs that were shorter and more precise to represent words with fmwvimLivuilmrijJST3 3j T^nnuililWI^mmiaimimu abstract meanings. These characteristics were evident in the Sumerian language of people in gnsiiml'^'an aim uaai,nijYigiiga'iii,iJaiii,<flfj naimilu , the Euphrates and Tigris river basins, and OniiSSUeiU (Cuneiform) J ^ those in the Persian Gulf, which ^Mn^jj'flul'ufmw^uaniaB'a'awaSiJiliTmifu was developed to become Cuneiform script, considered one of the earliest forms an^sTaulaimiJ^ LiniiAmiwuiWi ^Imhanwrnw ^-< \\ of \"written language\". wecani^u.Yiu^nijfi^liJw^uiiil'u OnUSOlSnaUu1 In addition, communities in the (Hieroglyph) uad$nuadn>3nii>3^ii>3umij'u?~£j\"n6n ancient Egyptian civilization in the Nile basin developed if pictographs and ideographs into hieroglyphs. These alphabets were widely i employed for many \\ centuries. Details of these two alphabets are as follows: maKmmiwiiK m^nwilnanw^uTiiriru ®,boo-®,o<^b tlriawmawrna Ox scapula with a divination inscription S&' from the Shang Dynasty (1,600-1,046 BC). AThai Scripts: 730-Year History 15

onussUau Cuneiforms are alphabets created by using a iiv.OflliSSUcllJ fia small piece of wood sharpened into a point, and ani^riHlmiw'uiJn 6 ivisnlviiJenmi.viamil'U'JiJ then pressed onto clay to form a triangular or ] wedge shape. An individual group of these §nmvilmNvm'\"m i impressions represents a sound. Discoveries by US ^inunHilsnf£jl^n^s^ijnuw <u^'ui,viuiJil'wi,ilu^il?ii^i»'wl&j^ archaeologists have shown that the objects used to display cuneiform writings were clay or burned 11 bricks. This implies that the cuneiforms were written on soft objects which were then burned to *> t 1 make them hard and durable. ^Klunn^Emanisr'niJaN ^n^^unliiinm^^^u'wiii.il'uii.w'u^'ui.vi'uii'avilauw'ua^ The Tigris and Euphrates basins where Yiwiumimil'Hwi win u^^^lwt'w <u'iiariy''i'3il^i,^£juij <uia^^a'au'u§>i iiaiiKtil cuneiforms were discovered include parts of what are now Turkey, Iraq and the Persian estuary. iiii.wnl.'HmaT.'MSeifii'wti.l'a^nii.asSfi'a'ijjfi'ayiufnTa Around 4,000 BC, these areas were the habitations i/ of the Sumerians. Cuneiforms were developed from IIIan^iiJawYilmwmSa'm <ooo tlriawFila^niei luimiEuammvh pictographs and ideographs before they were 1/ developed further into the Elamite and Van scripts. The golden era of cuneiform was during the reign IrmlauasmvtaYia %aiiiwmvia^a>mmml£m,u'u ^a^illmftmiiilu flllil of King Hammurabi of the Babylonian Empire. Ocloluri (Elamite) OflliSllOU (Van) Tei&yfima^asanimiJau a a s&jnwilii ]m^ 1 ifimnii ir^anmi^minfjlGuCki vI I i/ianwmsan^ris^a>3a1wT3ilajJU,u wmfiw3laniim\"ni?L!jammiJimaN3Gn>3 ^aiJi^wwviini^t^fj'ULil'ui.mii^nn^inl.iJ^ifij uJilliiJfmiJii£jmsum>3i,i§ciauIm'3 t WSanwvctfl'U'aiJAiJ ^^3^l»llwl»'Ia'una^^tua^3^^£J^3^'r1Hl,?ilJnS |pl^13>l^vi^^ |Fl^ ua^ainlvid^^^a^iiJjvi^iyi,1a>3ni?niJWSw§^rii'3niiLnii^ius^a^anvin <3'3^ ii iv i i/ i vv ^tflwantvi^viw^riilwriQl^'VNa'Fii^l'Sariiai'in llii,i> < <BanW''5'3iJ^n liJ£b3 iAi'5^?ji&jni'5l fmuemau *] <v i luikavipfl.vifim'u wnn , ,u'wiiuw ,u^ui,vi'u?j'3sn1nanH'3?iJ§jjTij'nju j<Fi 8 viimimfhuv^wu€>3iilunn?^ ,u'iNiifi?>3it -inT,'ul'uu5;i ,utai.^£j(?isiuaania£j'3 Lli iNa'3l,iinEui.30§m mNvnEm'n'u u,a£m^£j'3'\"Ni>'fi^afij6Uvm 3>avn<rU'B£j>al> viN %3via$wnunnimi3aaiiyn>nYimpnaflfiiaiwij'h San^n d,ooo-s>£,ooo TJ T^anw^ilncnwiimyitimli^llin^ &rft^ppj?!&Jr*~l >^p>r/f-\" ; wanumwnrianvmvimnuriwswiTuTsm e>,eni(to tlriauftfaenma S1 16 AThai Scripts: 730-Year History ^-aiflu'BneiiwiltJwngijJviw'l'uwuiKFiuiiJjMiJi.wmu A clay Babylonian tablet inscribed in Akkadian dated to circa 1,750 BC, it is considered the oldest cookbook in the world.



« ,^**»««^ T U.U AU ^^n^^A *» * ^ **V1 4*^*^^ v ©.Gniom-si.aKsxa1 tlriawfila^nna ^\"iln^uanw^altnavJ wa-mmiiwwflaniia»J«vniB4j3wtMliini unLanan»wiJts^ntn«anwnvlnI'5ii la!Jiivi^aSilw Hieroglyphic inscriptions on the Stela of Minnakt, chiefs of the scribes in the reign of Pharoah Ay of Ancient Egypt (1,323-1,319 BC).

oniisoisnaW Hieroglyphs OH US O 3IS fl 111 Ha anM-a^ifn'nriiin'ailnTiAiun^a^'n^NatfluiilL'Fii'a'VN Hieroglyphic alphabets are alphabets that were U HI first inscribed on objects or walls in ancient Egyptian sites of worship. The alphabets look like Imifuaniu I^ijanMiil'anl'HiS'uanwnl'BLuaSiJ^ Sw^unmiwiTinanm/rm carved works decorating ancient sites. Developed from pictographs and ideographs which use line u^san^tuyi'U'fiiijj^^^l'Ssitj J'uun'U'fiii^vi^iij ^iadlualiwndmftainiiarm'3 patterns to represent meanings, hieroglyphs therefore are categorized in the same group as the Tja^tniGumlsm ^Naunan^iiyitjn^u^ijanHiil^nsiAlmii.m^a^waiyiJ'sssj'ifu Sumerian alphabets. The oldest hieroglyphs discovered by paleographers date to around the cn.ooo ilriawileieirra ibsnaij^i^anjanwu bos? cTqj&Trmsu year 3,000 BC and consist of 604 symbols. fhin ftanfivJ (Hieroglyph) m^nnrn^nnlrm \"fbaa\" (hieros) vmi£jf)N3 Hieroglyphs can be written from left to right, 'pfn^ans i,Le»s;<Fin'i'i \"n^vJlvJ\" (glypho) vi§>n£jn>3 imsaanvrla-smn -n *m In u,il en i right to left and sometimes from top to bottom. They always met at the worshipped statues in the ^iL^EJUttn^a&Tnvila^ilnan'pfniiYis Lv^mimmTmu ivnis <,ima8iJ<?)TimEU middle. Accordingly, they can be read from left to right, right to left and top to bottom. Hieroglyphs tfain tvim^iviavi (Thoth) ^tSum'w^'iti.viNapiailiYiEjnm'a^srii'a^^i.liJW iflnwlvi were used by the ancient Egyptians, and were not disseminated to other tribes. They flourished in the mmflani^fftaneliAl (fniXu an^iSIin^lN3t2nanW''3^1'Btl£j ,uw1aGiicTnLla>3'3ni period from around the year 3,000 to 394 BC. m^n^uiei-N6 ii3>i^iJi\"i^iia>3^nbmN3^n'3a8il^Iij'5iEui,^a'iii.2 ,u^ <uH^i After being used for a long time, hieroglyphs ] evolved into two types of alphabets. One was the cVn^m^m^.l&j'U'iia^an^iaTinfliAl Srf-at^gj'usin^-iijliliJiii.tei^i.^EJU^nnijn hieratic system used to record academic works and written with brushes on papyrus. Those who used IiI^iej maui<a iFi^ai^^£ju^iniius^ei\"iv3 u^a^£m3Jim?3ijnunmiU ,Fmw hieratic alphabets included priests and other practitioners of ceremonial rituals. These alphabets v were used until around the year 300 AD. luflTeTuie^na'n n^ia''iu^liaN3aiu^in (Si£j LiJ'juTi aiwin^iYliMrm u.asa'i'u v aih>3 bn(?)'\"m anM^SIin^iAll^lnawEjaSil^IiJiisu I^ijlaJllHwmi.wiriiJsi nstw&ua'u 6 mLmi^nlajiiNnf a^ihsa-nm en.ooo-cn^sf ilnau'filei^ma q ]' <K q uei^Vilim (,QujJi^nvin>3aiiiJ5'a <3jj'nua^N3lvit <MunN3 iFiinw^1ajiv3i11a'3TjaN3aSil^ anmlftanfl^ twaHliltilw^^j^tiaiuTu IJwwuitiluarm'a is ibarm Ha OniiSOSlPiri (Hieratic) $A%ijunT)®iiiivinii®iui®®®Q\\,\\,t\\'u,i\\ii\\iGi V/ qq (Papyrus) u,a~i^yumij£ml)awrm wwl'SanMiaii^n'U^a nawvmin°a \"taaH wn^un>aib\"inmmsfl'pfnri ,fi moo AThai Scripts: 730-Year History 19

Demotic, Hieratic, oniisioluan onusosian and Semitic Alphabets iia:oniisnaumiiiiDDcin Hieroglyphs also evolved along another track into Demotic alphabets which take the form of line warn m^^fihn^v]\\^Yimuim'i\\>i\\um'^'3mm%iv\\wf\\Q OnUSIfllLIPin patterns. With little or no emphasis on figurative illustration, Demotic alphabets were used by (Demotic) ^Sanwuail'UGnmlm laJ iFiamn<uiillmrmwin <un HlunsmTjaNa laymen and merchants, or to record literature and vi1amauwni^m'rnmuiiG^'VNalhiTfihj X®u\\%< some academic works. The alphabets saw their iFi^i,i,eis;^i'a'iyiT>3i BTri'i'3iii>3i,£5|jj most widespread use starting with period of Ptolemy around 300 BC, up until - Imb^a moo iJn'au'Fnsieima ucc^laW^fa^yiG^tu^^aNaiJlmeiCi around 30 BC. The Rosetta a, q Stone, discovered in 1799, i ^^ ,q niu vriSnlsitSPIPll (Rosetta Stone) tflwm r silnliL^^^nfinliu^ii'nt^aNalii.^^^n iMimliai.lla'a allowed scholars to decipher -n!ta aismu^aivifiiaSil^aSil^ T^na^yivmlihafim Demotic alphabets, which were written from left to right. %$Mla* *» x-\\ vhlimJleiiewri <£ I^£j^)i1ni,2uanw m uiiu Ha shuim Another alphabet that vyLr L tiluanii'aSIin^iAl diunenvat.QuaVm'nei'taiin use originated from Hieroglyphs is the Semitic group. Widely used in the Middle East and North Africa, Semitic alphabets f an^ifiw^uTlihinan^ljTinii'H iltinin evolved according to the needs of their users, and | OniiSnaumiiimU^n (Semitic) Knumn therefore contain different ni>3i»i.fiij^s;iuaannai>3 u9\"nn>3Ufiii^a'utviua°tja>3 forms. They can be divided into various vHmrn ail u, ^Nal^ii'ajuini'al.il^iwHiuavafn^TnH languages including the ^riVl#£biluLimi^nfliN3n , T^enw-nmiikaamilu Phoenician, Palestinian uij'\"N and Aramaic alphabets. an^wdivrnwi limn an^ivJ'ui.^u'u a niraih tot^fl^in Among them, the most uanLwan iilvtim I®£jani^yi3lfaLi!j^inYi3ieilia OflliS popular one is Phoenician, carried QJQlBfclU (Phoenician) t'W'ai^'VNalii'BnrJui.^iin lemvii'a across the seas with the Phoenician merchants who travelled all over the known world to trade with other nations. A hieratic ostracon mentioning officials involved with the inspection BCand cleaning of tombs, circa 1,070-945 A20 Thai Scripts: 730-Year History

; CJ-U U p, VH r.Xr^Tov o.iKf T.\\XTHi.Al»'vHOVI ^or«Ttm^ ?•? *»*(«tf ^••M»A«*iti ^rfnl-n^sn iilu^itnMWfiiiwanflnja£jn>aS'3lunn7Hni*niJ^^prna9ifuas/inM''iaSiJ(aIiJtiEu The Rosetta Stone, a stele inscription of hieroglyphic, demotic and ancient greek scripts presenting the same text, thus providing the key to modern understanding of hieroglyphic and demotic alphabets.



oniisWuiB^JU Phoenician Alphabet _, _, 3ft ' The Phoenician alphabets belong to the OnUSUUUILJfclU L2uariH'3^aN3 ,,0'ii^lwi,^?j'u^(,il <ungiw B< <w^^^aaiiJi,6ijfl^n Phoenicians, natives of the current Syria, Israel, vnnviita ^fiflantuiadlwulnmans'i'aju^a'ivifu^i.iu tVaamaa uasfmuem and Palestine. Phoenician alphabets were developed from Hieroglyphs, Hieratic and Cuneiform scripts. The Phoenicians adapted the Yiilwni^lnt^'Ufintiijn'iiw'ii^in'fii'U'ilu^lilliiy writing of both consonants and vowels to become i.slaw^nmn^nn^iJefmsnu^asaniri^'uiTfEJU uni^iniilfu'u intuit their own. qj 03 dS Scholars believe that the Phoenician alphabets an ^w^unsn^nn arm? atari sM I0 a un a n»?iniJ?iiihtfi,wa1,m!j a uT,u/nfcn were the primary model for the alphabets that were s ^a^uifawSnj'B'usii.asGns: T^flanm^hui'u lais en eVnani^llAnHutalmil'u further developed into the ancient Greek and Roman alphabets. The Greek and Latin languages ODUSIinUl^aO (Phonographs) twaihdfj^ueiann^im^mla^nieh^ 6 and their alphabets formed the basis for the ) languages of many countries such as England, Iflm&wnsmnai#a>3rVijrmfln ma^nnwafln^ni^£u!muiiiuvnn?nunluei Germany, Russia and France. The Phoenician t^£jv3ndiJ^&)i^LQnunL^ut1at^^lli^aii^ <Fiii«aiwn?{naN3luri'i'3i,^ ,ui,1a rhlvi alphabets also had influence over the alphabets of ani*^^ui,?£Ju€>3i?luanwty!vialin^ni^ui,^yuHT,nnni^n^nyT,wii,niJvi«ta several Asian nations except Chinese. ' «* -^\"^ t^^maftim^uDNa^uu^u^EJ^^viiajJYiitLa^uswnu^^tjnijlil^^u^i^au 6 ] u n an imvi Entrain anm^iu^uifluani^emwimTjava OflWS bU^OnilSo (Alphabet) Yiw^uni.Quarm'inln anHiiin was arm-main man vv OflUSflSn ^>a L'liLt'VM^vieinLi LiJd oou'2jn^^ii^ 6 wlnw^wi.fluiilani^a'u 6 tiiu ] ] ^unT,iJtiluanH^^a'3^ni?isQu^nvi1aifniyIiiJadn'3ani*^a^^uija>3°tin'3l ,J3Tu ani^aGnanTja^irnaenii iiluem OflUSOUS tw^im(>2 <uany''3 6Hi^i1t§!j u, u tilwm dhUSIIOSHUOn Saviswayhlmneiani^einNa 6 am^animriiniii&'u ) ww&mneialmimanwan'jiin anwimaiL^uu iLgcnsTmnj lennftjulmimani^ °nBWM\\,miiu Ha an^ian^Ej^i^ 6 adntfarm'smnvilj ^atiluFmifh'ija^arm? ] !'UfiSfii |Fiiai1 ^ij^^TuaariLa£js3lli ,DaN3Vi5iiy^u,,ffi^ aimim), armivwn armiiwa ahimnviii tiluem warn^ OhliSlna uwuriawlnanwriunkm anarn £oo ilriaufvlsmma wiAuansmiutfSvna iTu^ni1a'3iiTiniJinijni?iii>3^i^mvN5wim3jfliijjt,?a <iia'3'B'i'3rl'urafJU A gold plate with Phoenician inscription found in Italy dates to approximately 500 BC, it describes an oblation made to the Phoenician goddess. AThai Scripts: 730-Year History 23

Phonograph onusiinuiaeiD The word \"phonograph\" means a set of wvnfawm>3fi © ill uvmlnEJ <s> iim>a I^ai^ilmi^v^ajmc ilm^ens Vila symbols used to represent sound in written words an^ttiyini^y>3^VMiunnT ,5J4n^Tnarii*'3uriufiiTjj^^ ma^in^'eij^uwi) or syllables. One symbol represents one sound engjSa^fru an^rfilvlynn^ann^rfifiiiiJt^nl^u^oan^rinlvtnn'jaac'ii'slw^iva which may be a consonant, a vowel or a tone. These types of alphabets were developed from wnwfmwvin'is] uarmrm m^vmu^fKmewuiniijnnlj'u fhflvwmn£n#a<3nii ideographs. infn^iimSuadnda^in^is^Lllny rTwalfliTavivmnmiiuiiJsramiasuTNBTaJj As human society became more evolved and m?i^aulfa&anmuvmflinNfl0f>3fiau4h>3£nn^ sophisticated, ideographs written with different handwriting became more difficult to understand. lugnflimajn wuHtJ^^^^uianMi/ii^ttasanii^i.triufiii^^^lvitilut'pi'javavijj'iij As such, the risk of meaning being miscommunicated increased as vocabularies vla^njAniiauLymiihvi^au^a^u^ 6 vi1asVnFi'\"N 6 T.vmaluanwusaVm's expanded to convey more information about ways ay qj aj of living, with both concrete and abstract meanings. J] i Writing using ideographs therefore became J complicated for recording and consequently became unpopular. Humans thus began to refine unmsfiw malvm^amiimyiri pictographs and ideographs into symbols representing humans or animals in the form of eiaavn \\wrii3 si.ooo ilriaufllswma ^nin1nIimml$vh^ia>m?wmN3<Fi phonographs which were easier to record. wiefmiilo^Hnunii^i\"^^^ leiiAi! ® \"ail tmw ® tau>a vTtfwtfaj'imai.asGns: lh OJ <v Later on in the 10 century BC, the ancient uni^nnniammsTmin ^iani^^HilywluiTs^iTndiuT.vidvT^nnjjn^nnani^mn Greeks modified phonographs and adapted them to Tunsu ua^llifiin'iitwgJtm^Ej'H'i'aT'jaTwlunsn^aavin their own language. One form represents one ani*?u,rmiii£Nl>uilusfnjani*Euv1 vTow unTj ,uUEJfl'nNgn*mmi,as: sound for either a consonant or a vowel. Scholars believe that most of the written alphabets in use ii^uTnnTiia^flNNUfcm malmvmiii^wmijmc iJ^ern: Vila today were developed from the ancient Greek alphabets iJ^Tnmtmcn lnnniiafi'3i3vivi3vii£j'!uaN3fii^nluu^l^a,^ ifiJj€N3S and later conveyed s widely throughout the fliimtsnnrii^fvu ^i£jan^?uri ,uii?j'3'uua\"iwn 43fiirurini,1a'3'j'i'3 world by the vilana^irV-avi^lJi ynLvbhaeiarm^eHT \\3uuH wasasennsna fmaasm 1 si) rrmaisua sns\"iituifei,a»Haun q di Early Greek alphabet on pottery on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, Greece. 24 AThai Scripts: 730-Year History

liiii ii v VV I V> ft* V mi: J: Z'.. 4 ^\"itnsTaTeiwa iSu^ntnanifsriTnTiitnfwwrian'aa'S'siafQjslaTwna nmwmaa wa^ivmimivmiinlaivla m<aumru3u t^aatiiaaluih^iim The Theodotus inscription, a Greek inscription mentioning Theodotus Vettenos as benefactor and head of the synagogue on the Ophel hill in Jerusalem. It is on display at the Rockefeller Archaeology Museum in Jerusalem, Israel.

4v//] I -K OIiHllK.II \\ Jjjhr, T7l:i Son j:1 fj^f^l \\J . <^__p_ i amA/lttd.. \\ y^—S,j„.vi.,,-/;i '_V <•an <- :>,„;.. \"jfadur ' * < - txnpout t_ ( i/tiZur —3 /.•!//. ill, 1. f \\ < AJ'' t. C .1 ^ J- ../).ui j JLi/w.. /,:,.v.-.v,././ >,. 7 7... . .^j/;.,!..,./. _' ' - -fXi/uL... ' • Tiro/vm uJffiJwnmsasjQnwsTnfej

unn <§> onusmsct \"\"\" /L*Lvt \\CJsrur~A Guimoniisluaossnjnu \\N Olisictlr/I Chapter 1 , Indian Alphabets, Origin of Alphabets in Suvamabhumi AThai Scripts : 730- Year History

ff !. s- -> -C; %mm uwumsmiTK Map of the Silk Road from central Asia to India, along which the Kharoshthi scripts were used extensively.

oniisuIsii^na:oniiswsihu Kharoshthi £irimQmmYi<?iuvi <uiiwi&r\\Y\\m la OniJSUJS'lfiU uas OhliSUlSU'O and Brahmi ijm§nmsmalwiwvnri^€>3£iflianmli<a b<^ arm? iJ-a^nau^iijvjirnj'Hu^tt^s LA I ._ i The most ancient characters discovered in India are the Brahmi and Kharoshthi alphabets. an^i^b^lu&j^Hnulwunij^aumua^a>3aisnim^aG'i^iJJilinafin <uu^^ Found on stone inscriptions and widely used, the Brahmi alphabet was first used in the era of 4/ Ashoka the Great between 272-232 BC. Found on riiN3^«^^iuaaniia>3ai5i?m^asipii^a <Hri'i'usifii'ul'uif^^ir'u ?QwifaT,$rvua!h>3 umvianyluansn?mf^auil£JiSa«3^£j^iilafi^EjmiJnfiia^auil£JYin>3^«^\"iu^n the Ashoka Pillars, the Brahmi alphabet contained d9 vi i qy 64 characters composed of both consonants and tauvaLvrua LSa?i^iNamwi?£ja$i8^?a^vmri^N3naiii,Lln ^ImmaianwTfl'Ciem vowels. ^im/nineh^ 6 iftaena Meanwhile, the Kharoshthi alphabet was used ] in the Northeast of India, but within a narrow circle eiawi tSaii^i>3«nHim^i.4)niJn iPi'3a>3a <ui,ltjnl'SanH^^I'3^ll'uni?i,wiJi,Lw when compared with its Brahmi counterpart. The JvH'aflsiueinuasvn'aenavuvma'iia'a Kharoshthi alphabet's forms are similar to those of if Brahmi. However, the Brahmi script was written ensTiiui^aui.^muiims'uu u@« finuiijflaNn3Ufi<afn6«flflfliT5mi <^ fuiaw from left to right, while Kharoshthi was written from right to left. These two languages were used until 357 AD. They are currently considered dead ueisllii'iJiwiun'U'nan^'i^I^iill'U'na^ languages. anyiVN'aiviwi.fl'uanM^'nl'Sluaui.^Ej^a'ui.viua eiaunsrN uaseiavilfl <Ha*n The Brahmi alphabet was used in the North, llwwuitflualmii^mS^adi^^mm ani*?mnvimfmi?nvi',u rnnlmwiitwiYis Central and South of India. It was further <U 1) i developed to become phonographs. The first fwntm an IflsA^uamfimLluisEJsnenu'm^ @,k>oo-e),doo il tfluarm? recorded use of the Brahmi alphabet was in the rd ywwunajnsnnneiNaTm^Sfiri Ha anmu.aruNanuasanmvlui.ikm wSuuu 3 Buddhist century (342-243 BC). It was used in India for as long as 1,200 to 1,800 years. The Brahmi alphabet originated from the Semitic group vianrmYn>aibnflflna0Tnwmn£nnijan^mnviiJ fia flgm'nrugnmsi^n which comprised the Aramaic and the Phoenician alphabets written from left to right. Composed of rfS both consonants and vowels, Brahmi was used in aT'Pin^vn'STB ru aajwuvila'ijjfl'ui.ei avtwusensi^m^ih^isill^muiha recording the Prakrit language. luitomi, armSaibs^nm tM.ei. isnio-me)® ^ilnenaarm'awrivill ueuClu/rmn Historic evidence of the Brahmi alphabet ilnnqei ^^a^nwswuntCluri'i^njjfisvila/i'iM'iijna includes the \"Ashoka Stone inscriptions\" dating to between 272-232 BC at Rummindei (or Lumbini) in Nepal. The inscriptions were written using the Brahmi alphabet, but in the Prakrit language. The latter subsequently evolved further to become the Magahi or Pali language. u3lmlimimuQi3Einan4flff£jTurnu The Kharoshthi script on gold coins used in 58-12 BC in the ancient central Asia. AThai Scripts: 730-Year History 29

The content recorded in the Brahmi alphabet on ^?si^iil£j^i€>3i1 Suan'w < <iAi'5^i>^iaI <Finwvii^i'B TJusftams'n'fl the \"Ashoka Stone inscriptions\" told the story of King Piyadassi's travels to worship at the birthplace 3^u'i«vi'u>3°ija>3 of Lord Buddha. He gave a royal command to have a stone pillar built. Carved on top of the pillar is a 0niuumm>mN6mn?6muwiksaflija>3vnswYisa>3fi wlntibeun In ej T,vism>a figure of a mare, and inscribed in the Brahmi V1 alphabet is a command declaring the area free of 4/i i taxation. Only one eighth of the income from local commoners' farms was collected as property tax. iGnwumiJunsa^rmiJenmgn uasruewI'Miilncu'ui.flui.'ii^nJ^a^fnS I^iuii^'j After having been adopted in the northern India, v several forms of the Brahmi alphabet were modified but the writing system remained the i>^£j/ii^^um^>3^^viwdi ,uuil^'5jaN3'5i£j L^iri < <ui,Sav3u n'U'il nv^aay£jvn~mali?mwvn < , n^m^mi^mi^^ ^Cteja^arm'avmvm 'tf aimiadi^aiua^ u^?ill'm^n7ja>3an^^lli^ <uii,i,^n^iv3nua!Ji^vie)nn ,HS'itj ti,^\"Lmims^i!jliJ'^ani^!j^3u^^uu^u^a <uiviua^'unv3^a'ul^ afh^T/snenN an^iv^iiviSa^^^^malfin^vii^^lliLl^^uiadnNa'TO^u ^aihnn.nvianriumiluflsmnfrmij'h armi'VN'nvilHiNa'u siutvid£ivnN3rm>3 <U I t i 1/ I sfu iQu'nJihviliejN usoluilnnj] \"in\" (serif) vrlaiJuTjeiau 6 imvnahfcKa iJufto ) smmi (Jwanml^NinTm lQiwu anw-'sviiivifl maHtilni^EJ^nai'ui'u dajjCjii^uimi^rm amua^ in^nngnaSaiLasfmNvmlnalhumiflNun^ ri'Nlliija'aa'ui.fm IflEjVu/nmvma iimrm dnUSinOUlRS T.'SiTu^rifnwn susmqeiimrraseniir aium^/nfllmja^amfm iimnin OnUSnf|Ufl Vila OhUSQ990o HiTu'nnrinM'nauanfi^iiu'liiaiuuasuwu'MU A30 Thai Scripts: 730-Year History

Brahmi scripts inscribed on the stone pillars at Rummindei, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, erected at the command of King Ashoka the Great.

lYnsfiTulamieiem myri5vnn«r] rnwaulmia^ansiiwtjjramem Wfia^ni,2unun\"iLU^ ,3ja<3an»ifif|Wfivi1aanmiraa'3t Airavatesvara Temple, a Hindu temple of Dravidian architecture located in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where Grantha or Pallava alphabet was originated.

1 oniiSFiquri Grantha 6hliSnr|Un 5 , w^ V upi^Hrmadn^ , lil^inanM'3VN'5iviS (Fiau,?ji>3JJin u'ini'3 umvianaluavuliEjeia'ulfl anttms^a^ani^finumvu ajuln^IlHna^m'u vi i Naturally, the Brahmi alphabet evolved in ®m®tua^inlwTwinim'liienu an^i^iivi5^ < <uany''3 |piq'Ufi <na^iJ'im various forms after being used for a long time. uini'3i,il ib^imwyiswniraiim ©is In^aT^v^^Hin^SNavii^wuttvi^'a'i'ifQ^'Piif^ai^ unarm Differences in handwriting, as well as the long distances between towns in the North and the in£jiin'a ,Hiuf>3i.l£jnanM'ivj^iviSlua§T£j'U'ii armiLfasns: IflEjanmAqurrviira South of India contributed to the divergent an^^ifp)piis;ulliuvN'i <ij£j'i!jliJlutnntt ifii ,u^'iN3 6 luamibeiaulei wlnwamiiilu development of Brahmi scripts. In the North of ) India, the alphabet was called the \"Devanagari aVm'aYiSvT an tKjwnsn snail mau^msi^anid'^i>3Viavi1aani^^nnluih^im alphabet\" and written on paper. In the South, the anmcvfi^m^u^a^ani^nunuu uiNaamflu is ma Ha nemviCw forms of writing were known as the \"Grantha\" or a nwiflaTmmsvni, viatic (Box-head) wasannawviu^iani^Sanwu^iyiii \"Pallava\" alphabets and written on palm leaves. The Grantha or Pallava alphabets evolved in (Nail-head) t'tiu an^ia3T?j <w'5s;^iajjrii |Fiil^iu ,v,i>3'3i HiN3 |pi |fiil^^^aunaiv3 antra quite different forms from their origins in the Brahmi alphabet. Widely used in the southern part of India, G?aT?j'5n < <?rnrr^ c anwaa^nn^iNaflsi^nitiu\" wasantrja^smin^mTagns: 2i'3v3 VMs; these alphabets took the form of curved shapes £jfiKu €>3ani*^nunu^ann^i>3^uuan^u^n^i'3rmw^ilirju^nu wiSaflnwi^ because they were written on palm leaves. ^siimim>mazanTni!hiaiflan£jflA3nu Ha ibsnaiiltaij'wii'njims: sis IjJd The Brahmi alphabet used in the South of India was developed to become the \"Grantha alphabet\" 4/ starting from the era of King Narasimhavarman of mrumnei {,\\,®zii$®iz\\iiQiiviiivu ctiuzi]3<?\\') <uv\\\\ii ehuuu ehuem was the Pala Empire from the th century BE (558-657 12 AD). Some paleographers still refer to the Brahmi aYmieiqufi ^aT£j^n <2n>3<pfir^pi'3^ ibs^nuuNYispis'n'nttV) ©©-©is enasvn alphabet during this era as \"Pallava alphabet\". s The Grantha or Pallava alphabets were 1.liuvj?v)anoii,a\"5ayi5^aadi'3«nnlwliwu^uiat5ii^s'waani,ft£j'3 lli uJi/nsjvia^ disseminated to different regions in Southern India, lli^uinn?iliiji ila£juiilam?iu^ini^^^t2nan^iyi?N3wiLViaiJwliJtSuanM'3 eventually becoming the Tamil, Malayalam and > even Singhalese or Lanka alphabets that we know Yi^nrmtaafm iilutaul^ Nnnsannvm'lviEmjvnnTJu laviviYmaM leifnavns today. wtmjmcm^ulmfaHa n was i AThai Scripts: 730-Year History 33 Pallava-script inscription in the reign of King Simhavarman of the Indian Pallava Dynasty, 1 ,h Buddhist Century.

onusinoinns da The Brahmi alphabet was disseminated and used th centuries BEin the North of India until the 9 \"1 and 1 (258-457 AD) before it evolved with the invention of a clearer horizontal line above the consonants. By this witwH a&m'ssmalpirmvnr'i'B I^&ji,a^i^^'i1n ,nafiN3ltua3Tii'5i oaiN3 |Pi ,fiiJ(?is5n'i'5 time, the forms were much different from those seen ?imau^in>3iJ§n£jani*ii,Qu'nJanmviii£JN wngnrnflu OflUSinOiriFIS viwuw in the Ashoka the Great era. In particular, alphabets in the inscriptions used in the Gupta Empire showed horizontal lines across the end of lines forming small triangles. This form of anM'^i,Yi'3 <ui iFi1^S'3ilanH'3>3(?iN3ijj^^^ Ha ani^miunm Iwiln^a^w'ssm U1 writing became the \"Devanagari alphabet\" in the ,h vtTJtmis'Uj: m?n^5ni -5^ni.t?ii>3ia'uan^?ii,anilri'5'3an»-5a£in>3i^9i'j uasanu-'a 14 \\xnvc\\m sna^n Iflii^uiminsnmiJnarm'amii^ anmmiha afwaufimjja? century BE (758-857 AD). It later evolved into the am^ tu >an as 'n^'manmluamfiEJif^iru current Indian alphabet. The Devanagari alphabet used in the North of India developed into the Tibetan, Nepalese, Kashmiri and Bengali alphabets, and eventually the \"current Indian alphabet\". However, the Devanagari alphabet did not have any influence on the Thai alphabet. wiXv3ialu/ii^^av3tri^vi1a^vi ,u>3iaL?iJu < i <ul <u'U |pi'3 left^uamfm^hrnvma ija>3 fi Praphasri Siha-amphai (2007: 81) stated that the T^iJfuib^iUmuani^'fiil^ HiamiawhuimLil'uiJwi'aNa adT,u^0mf)£niru \"Devanagari alphabet\" means a book in the Deva v' ' ' (divine) part, or written characters by people in the mlm^ayiftimiiilmlmYirh^ vhaMuvmij^ city. Used in the North of India, it was modified from the Gupta alphabet by making straight horizontal lines vilaiflmlml^iJcnmlm im^yfi^ivmiLViSauvneisiJ tltjnan'bmi.Li'LiCm above consonants at the same level, while vertical '^ivm^iawimvnecLl\" gfnvifijHtlyvifin»nananqwTja>3 ,a,u'BU'nSrin^^n^'i IauTb lines were made at right angles with the upper horizontal lines. Other linear components either made nvonoNmi w.fi. @<^oo flnsmnaasn^TiiSainswaluamfia ^llmtKarm'aa'aei alternate angles or formed curved lines. They were sometimes bolded like nail heads, hence the term €>3i,QuanT5mnmilafi€miasl$anM?Su^ \"Nail Head characters\". This system was named the ^iaui iSaamfimLasihnannmLEjnibaYmnu amiif^Wani^iuiHQuani^a \"Devanagari alphabet\" used to write the Sanskrit language by the educated classes until around 1500 ih^iinei gJTUilinsriTul'SanM'ia?^ Lynxftsuu ani?mvnuifi1^6allmi,il'u BE (957 AD). Islam also entered and influenced India leading to a niii^nuiJii^ a>3 an^^Swluif^^iru the usage of the \"Urdu alphabet\". The Urdu alphabet stemmed from the Persian characters that used the \"Hindi alphabet\", which in turn had developed from the \"Devanagari alphabet\". When Pakistan separated from India, the latter adapted the \"Hindi alphabet\" as its national script, while the former used the \"Urdu alphabet\". Therefore, it can be said that the \"Devanagari alphabet\" is the original model of the contemporary \"Hindi alphabet\". 34 AThai Scripts: 730-Year History

^vin^fnrt?? *?jf^

unn \\§d BBKH^HHBE1BI ; ooajunuuTy \"U onusilnej Chapter 2 Thai Alphabets: A Fountain of Wisdom tiuG&ivi'imsaQjQnusTn&j

33M-««:-.yC3aa«ffl '] ^ V Vi - •• AThai Scripts : 730-Year History

vrlfHinra ifluTnnahtmfasn:: 4foi3uani*?iia$fmifmd'iEjtw flumviaiaadlw/iSfiifiiai^LwrQwaanifttj'jlin.uajkrtjIii'S'i Khao Rang inscription is a stele inscription of Pallava script, which was used in southern India and later spread to Southeast Asia.

1 oniishouaiejaolnej Before the 11 < Creation of raNVNirsEunTiN rni*n uasanm iiluem Thai Alphabet erimijlhuanw'u'u iJrin^animrnvisladT.'u \"OlSnlomry %HLlvm?n The influence of the Indian Civilization has long been seen across Southeast Asia since the ancient ^a^anmnsnTHmi SanuibsNnmwinswnrnim d-d wimviiJih'utafnnj tSa^ time. This can be traced from political settings, u <\" values, tradition, culture, as well as literatures, <u i i languages, and alphabets. lu/i5/n iFii,at^y^^i <uaanta!j>3llii.yti^'VNiil'uif^^ir,u nan^nnn iba win if nana Alphabetically, the Brahmi script inscribed in the mInguHuorm mav)lSHP1SinU v)\"ISniUO\\)OOmiri3 mflaoaamirto Vo Canh inscription that belongs to the Funan Kingdom. Found in the Vo Canh village, the city of yin>3^aulli^aN3ii <Ba'imn^n'3nisi^',!iiluir^^im Nha Trang, Vietnam, the inscription is believed to <U 1 lh lh u^ani^?VN^iviS51^SaYi5^^^aanH?^a^n^^uijnluu^na^n ,Fii,uii be built during the 7 -8 Buddhist century. Although the Brahmi script was not influential in qi the creation of other alphabets found in the iL^anii^^qunvilaan^^if^^i^fNai^wiJi^inan^^^^iviSun ifluKiufhani*'! Southeast Asia, the Grantha alphabet (aka Pallava) from which the Brahmi evolved is a model of other \"ua^ihanwiiNa 6 lu/iSnTFTU I^Sni^amtamuii vta?hmauniimLl ,unsm?m alphabets used in the region. It is also believed that ] merchants or priests made the Grantha widely fJwani^fiqumniwEmws lijaibsunovwYisflenrstm <?;-©© ^•B^iigneNnshi ,h lh ibwa3Tmf)Enniianmn3rnG'h>3 si lu/i5,nnmai!mGnsiuaam&£j>Aflluafi$n TJmri aiEvn^mvm'nfi (wmsflenniim ®-®b) anmT^mtwarwIaanmn^nTiiaNnauajjEj used during the 9 -1 Buddhist century. Hence, kingdoms in the region were inherited msum (•vNYisffenrawi ®is3-®s?) anmn^nTuaNatf&'mru'Frs (win shinny! ®is- linguistically, particularly alphabet, from the South ®d) aimn^niiJfjvilaaimifmfflmwn (wviswnrsiim ®is-®<^) wasaiorRm Indian region. As found in what is currently i' Southeast Asia, many similar inscriptions that of Grantha built in the reign of King Simhavarman, a i,iasI®m«vm;:antt^nnamfi&dn£jT>li ^il?nn{]amd''5lu-sn1nvi9T£jvian'nvNijl u, king from the Pallava Dynasty of South India, include the Lan Thong inscription in Burma, the riCimmai^^iuaamaEHleiluif^im lkiJamrmfl@n!Jfla>3nijani^An ,ufi Mahanavik Buddhagupta inscription in Malaysia, q <y oO the Mulavarman inscription in Indonesia, the qj I Mahendravarman inscription in Laos, the Kadoeyang inscription in Cambodia, the imlua&jv^i.snikvmN'u nwi1i)'3i oai>3 i?iif?i^ij;i,i,vi>3a'ui,^!jlli \"OlSflcllUnOO Kwangnam inscription in Vietnam, and Khao Rang Tia$anmnsmiJ!jlu§nsim?suvNavi/n'W'w»h vJlSnumUlOnULinsnUPl inscription' in Prachin Buri, Thailand. Therefore, the luihzi.viflN'Hai.wj \\)lSDUUS:i\\)lUa3SlJU ensTSJuf^awIsivt^u \\)\"ISriWS:i\\)l Grantha alphabet found in the same period is d3 U called Pallava. uinunsosuu ansnm?*ihsinsiJ ,l«>i!Jih;: ,in'Bvi§m vnsnrKiflaoo OlSminSvT ^avn^ihitmijif iJ^^tyrprlntj % Nation a n^^qufmwiil'u^nln AThai Scripts: 730-Year History 39

Pa I lava Alphabet oniisJaao: Ancient alphabets in Southeast Asia were enmviem anni^vNijluilism^lvi^^uuin^llilintmiJW'i^'inariH'iifpi^^\" developed from the Grantha or Pallava script S1 which was widely used in the South of India around w^^imSn'i'a'Fi'U'VNiJVi^n^iutil'u^pi'i^ilnvi^i&jvi^n I^iJvianYialfmmrhu.rivbei the ninth to 1 ,h BE (258-557 AD). It is u.asSffnii^ibin/iadafih^'fieu^'u lia \"OlSniUlUOfcl ^vneienami isutl centuries ^vn^mnij^aei^nii vn.pi. @@do uas \\)lSminSO ^mJ^vn^mi^^^nii believed that these alphabets were conveyed into Yi.f\\. <5)®)dls Southeast Asia via religious propagation by monks and Brahmins. Therefore, the initial sets of alphabet discovered in Thailand were rooted in the Grantha or Pallava. Several stone inscriptions, some with the years inscribed, were discovered in every region of Thailand e.g. the smnvtansTsw en i£a«a?rsi,vm TmufluanimTaaiz inscriptions in the / m wiin a ^nanmfiaiEjaulutnviYiBfi^nitw ®is- ancient city of luavniiawlnvisiriu mtnnimansrs^impa^ Si Thep in vv^ » msTNYisfnaun Phetchabun ^L The ,d Dhamma Stone inscription found at the city mProvince, the Khao 3 BkNoi of Si Thep features Pallava script of Pali language. It 2 in Sa was dated at about 558-857 AD and describes principal inscription Kaeo Province, the precepts of the Buddhist faith. inscriptions of the dhamma\"3 Pali verse discover Nakhon Pathom, the inscriptions a 4 the Maheyong Temple in Nakhon ! Thammarat, and the inscriptions at the Chong Sa Chaeng 5 in Sa Kaeo. These village inscriptions were all of the same era, that is, around 1200 BE (558-657 AD). The Pallava scripts on these stone inscriptions contained similar forms of characters and writing. The only difference was in the language used. Some were inscribed in the Sanskrit language, others featured the Pali language. A40 Thai Scripts: 730-Year History

wIlantAnlufi^nwialuiiiwYisffemiiFn ©is ww, \\)lSniUO0FlSiriUJ ^vnei *=**=! 1/ i a-* vi ®ia u Niilanwusani:mi>asariij -nsv) (Fi6nEJfia>3n'u wfrnwu^n^n^nuu^Lu u Ihu/nin In&in^vianTilnLilu/nfcns'usmqsn wu Tilrnfawivm^fi' imviarmfn illumining! nlu ^nlrnejsuwi^ vilain^vilmSm^itn^mmi^imie^min auan^ i°&u ^nlnmif-a iiluliu . -. mavalunnwlivm a°\"iifia?mrm ^vneuvmintu annwmuwiiTflTamsAnNUttaamjriauihz^flnawf nwiw'nmSawikvw ^ilnifluarmiifaax mmauannw 5anutmvmsfl9iT5,5»Yi s>k> ifluwvhiaamtifontnviarm luaflaiuwnvnulil liaflTijAu^iinuwasimyiVi ^wamavtnswaunan^ IjJfiainwwuasaTuiJanEJiittrMa vfil^tua^nn^lu^if nin^iwa , < s u1=iJt,fl u°a'3>3 ) The ancient city of Si Thep in Si Thep District, Phetchabun. It is the site of prehistoric human bones and stone inscriptions of Sanskrit language inscribed in Pallava script, dated to circa 558-657 AD. Unfortunately, the stone broke and the inscription cannot be entirely understood.

A stone bas-relief Buddha image in seating posture represents the art of Dvaravati. It was found in Ruesi Khao Ngu Cave in Ratchaburi Province. The base contains Sanskrit inscription in Pallava script, which shares the same characteristics with that used in the Indian Pallava Dynasty (458-657 AD). The inscription mentions the creator of the image, Samadhigupta Rishi who was purified by making merit.

an^iifaai^viiliin/ilufiai^Tln^uwtnil ?iJam?nu^a>3fliarm'S£Nfl>3 The forms of Grantha or Pallava script found on v the early stone inscriptions in Thailand maintained their forms as used in the Pallava Empire in the litainanwmuminii^i uw^^Saiuillnda£Ju^n^iN3rmaan liJiJi>3 ^ai^uQ'um'ax South of India. None of the forms were altered an^Savrlatam^n^awmYhuu u^i^Lflu'nnn^atn^in ilrin^fiaiTilnanwifaax from the original, though some small differences in detail were found, which were assumed to have ad^ivm/nfiiiaNaihavmlviij (untiu/ri'Fiwua) laJ'in^stilum'fin^no (,°tm \\)1SD resulted from different handwritings and the stone b ^leiwnikw vnsnmrnGmioiuoosibus It is noteworthy that these stone inscriptions \\5iusoouus:sssu9ns ^NvnemTfiil \\)lSrilUO\\)UOFIOnbl\\) ^vneiayms'iu /n-FieisTuaan iim were found in every region across Thailand except \"OlSnUcIO n 92 vHSfTDUnilS ^vneiwnirl rnfieciuaanisUrnvma tw in the northern Thailand. The inscriptions found are the Inscriptions at the base of the Wheel of OlSmOUIUOOIPtef ^vnemlain tflSnnilQmOO\"* $avn<aij1!jjti \\TISn Dhamma6 in Nakhon Pathom, Bueng Khok Chang s>,s 6 79 inscriptions in Uthai Thani, Khlung inscription and ninnUTIU ^vneiauarrflsiu ^lSnOlTVOlinrT \" ^vnem«Firn°&!iin u,§c 9 Chanthabun inscription in Chanthaburi Province, usm«*LK iw oisnonumsiniuoounsfissssusitT' sisnnuimboo Don Mueang Toei 10 in Yasothorn, Ped 11 inscription ROfcf ^avnflUmfllsrsm'l'H tSullU U9^>3l'MI,fl <UlianfWlfn'aIlJ'3iml <UU^92 Thong Cave 11 inscription in Buriram, Phu Ma Nai 12 in Ubon Ratchathani, Chan Tuek inscription nS/nfl'nl'BanmneiNu lia^Sni^^aiasntmu'ua^ 6 ^flarm'afia'iafi^i.ias Temple 13 in Nakhon Ratchasima, ]' inscription 14 Mahathat Temple inscription and Chong Khoi , 15 Valley inscription both in Nakhon Si Thammarat, etc. This provides evidence that these regions laifaanmutTlliihsinfu moo-sfoo tl anmifaaialjjSii^uini^nnanm communicated constantly with each other, hence Huuuu n^i^tiluan^ivi^irssi^us^l^iii^a^i^iawnijSni^ilf'iii.ilitj'ul.il the similarity of the form of alphabet of the same era despite the long distances between sites. Later during the th and lh centuries BE 15 16 ri92ua£j ^uii^wini?wiLfli4anM?^aojIij'3ifu€>3fin iFiu'iNiia£]luij1i»Qfui,i»fiiJ9'^ (858-1057 AD), after the Pallava alphabet had a/ <y <y q ujJuia'3iem929'mi,3J'ui9i92i u< uei^anii^ua^Iu^im^^'Fiu'wijvi^n^Tuadl'ui.Lfiu been in use in Southeast Asia for approximately amwm L^ivra^i u,92sm u>3-juinfold 300 to 400 years, it began to evolve from the original forms. This has become known as the im&njsmtjyiri'nfi wnuvivwiQwilujJTfimjarilft aiuanlimQuanwifaax post-Pallava alphabet, which underwent gradual <w change until it evolved to become the ancient Mon <y qj and Khmer alphabets. Examples of this Khmer _ alphabet were discovered in the areas of the Chao fiiM'nauanfiw En&rnvmsercrcrsii'n ®ia di^fiamQu/nwniJ^uuTirfi Phraya and Mekong River basins. I qq q \"pil vni-niifmilEutJ\" uiledi VM-ssHiPilYmnlwwijaiawil^ial^ >>^ Discovered in the areas of the ' 1' «, qj q <f 4v '\"i 3s. Irrawaddy and Salween i Iiam5a<3uifnilsmlii'nfu ^vnemfrnkN t^a^ana^ ^avnwsvirjjuiil basins were examples of <t3 * another evolved form <iS qj qq called the ancient Mon qj q qj q q qj alphabet. A coin of the Dvaravati features a cow with a calf on one side and Sanskrit inscription in Pallava script on the other side. It was dated to circa 558 AD and resembles those discovered in many other provinces in Central Thailand. AThai Scripts: 730-Year History 43

mwieiuHeiuuecHeiunnem'sarinr anmama^ ^vneienvm amwifrnwiR-iirivna^nEnTisaYis is Iei&ms:i3iemisavi5 misniwavnlw^aiiiNlflamtri'fljmen mtnailmMliu m^nin£j#im::ucc§>3'?ja>a<?h>a<; ) The Rattana Chedi and the Chedi Ku Kut, stupas in the Chamdevi Temple, in Mueang District, Lamphun, are where the stone inscription of King Sawawathisitthi II was discovered. The ancient Mon and Pali inscription in ancient Mon scripts was dated at circa 1058 AD and describes the King's renovation of the collapsed stupas caused by an earthquake, his mother's command to dig a well in the temple compound, and offering of monk servants, land and other items to the temple.

onusuorylusiru Ancient Mon iia:oniisaouIusiru Alphabet and Ancient Khmer aiamriTwm nrnEWasi.u'NSvi/rmwNn sjj^JiAi'a^^Ta'utnsvi'aaa'uins was s VI 4/ I ii.w^yntisjn^^'ui.i.^uufiiJeijJii.jJvi'iil'ai.i.s^iijJunT^ fiaulnfuvufigjiSuaniun^m The ancient Khmer alphabet discovered on the mnru'Skj ^SanEjadlurnwyiswnTSfcm ©ei/-®^ stone inscriptions in Thailand was influenced by the Khmer alphabet in the Angkor period. Most 4/ i v examples were found in religious sites built under anMrn^a^ani^^anjIimmKU LlllJflJtll^'u^1^a<?l^nM'm',iJa^3^'Ula^3^a flmaufi^a^anw'svi^ffaaisltfaua^ enuiauilnvm ani^a^aoilinimilmw the influence of Khmer arts of the time. As for the ancient Mon alphabet, its identity was altered as fm^aT^nmafja^ul^mlmilnim iviaaiimw^flianisKiTau eNibin {fluff sn discovered on the stone inscriptions. Stone ^InwCiaifjafjlurTiwra^iTswJ ©«tJ wu \\)lSniJUSol\\)lci331S^nS inscriptions inscribed using both types of alphabet - de the Ban Phangphuai inscriptions in 5™™(opirjnm) ' ^aviT«anvju aisniiunuunioaoufir Nakhon Ratchasima Province, the itj^Iviij tfluKu ussan^'sisuiiuanMi^anjIij'aisuuu .A >£ inscriptions at the Ta Phraya e in Sa Kaeo, the stone iptions found at ancient ani^fliimanln&flimlTlflm'ayfa TeiEjarmimS'u ler temples (Prasat) in ^urin, the King Sawawathisitthi ''' stone inscriptions 16 ^ in „' Lamphun, and Wiang Mano *^ 17 grinding stone inscriptions Wens £5 e>o en Tfla£rN6ns:s)mi>assn;:aa£j gfivifu V: in Chiang Mai Province. Wtihj'HUS: S mo fll qnfftfflUfnnrrcvis ^ilniiluanwwanjlii'nm «S$4» aifrrnwviB'fwnmi ©d Luavnnsmfw miain^smufiibswriumz'wvis'nJ «>o aw mtiJanli'U'mspniwvinlvifii.iasliuwsmni rmari'aswni <u fjaflmslmflgn fluriTmsiJffli mawmniimjm iij-iwmuv^iasrmrmEJin ® fi Tflti \"eimivnun\" uvtamaovrlfiojirei €tfan^iflunwifEmMiiHiJnfi\"5a<a iwa^vffjiQj4rejluawaTiJtnmmalMViwanwuT,uih^m4 An ancient Mon inscription at Saen Khao Ho Temple, dated to 1058 \\$ AD, is on display at the National Museum of Haribhunjaya. The text * describes construction of the shrines for ten Buddha images, growing of bodhi trees and coconut trees, construction of a tiered umbrella and temple wall, creation of Buddhist teaching book, and donation of a pair of cows by a King of the ancient Lamphun. AThai Scripts: 730-Year History 45

Both the ancient Khmer and Mon alphabets strictly maintained the writing methods of the Pallava alphabet. However, their forms were <BiN3ib^imwns^i'3'3'yy) ®<^-@d wiiyhAuanmi^mym^lwasaimn^n'a'ijaw changed in opposite directions; the ancient Khmer smtumsufli tavnsrlfluwijlufl^i^ifnluibuyifllviEJuu lli?uans'Wew'\"Rin alphabet gave importance to a decorative line above a character, called \"Pok\", which was anw5°ua§sic<muw?s u< i IflEjaiulvinhsibin^luflnGmsm'm fl^iJrua^ci4£jW3Sum developed to become the \"Sok\" or \"Naam Toei\". Meanwhile, the ancient Mon alphabet reduced the F)'3 a^miTjaj/Limm^ffmn^ima^i^ u,ebiJ importance of this Pok decorative line, which am^iunaiJilfmiJafiJulil^^nu^'i^fla ani2H°uawIii'3nful <MfnnjjGfn iFi'ajfYin) ^'u eventually disappeared, leaving the Mon alphabet ilnuu %3nenf£jmt,ilu \"fln\" Vila \"vmimeifj\" u^dl^,^n <uad'l^3u <^N'ivl^1ylull1^,^m undecorated. The ancient Khmer alphabet was conveyed into dmi§Ju'\"imvr3££n I^f£j5i=Sa'apiiAiii1Iii?iEutil u< i?inLinai>3 uadliCjayisv^aa^iml.viciJ the Chao Phraya River basin with Lop Buri as its 14/1 center. The alphabet influenced the Thai alphabet Vi mn^lmluaayu^I'umjInEj ^nvmllmnmafl!'N3y1wam?nwfliu,v^wvmnif created in the Sukhothai period, as evidenced in vn^ibslm^arm'slYm 1,1,91 aniii^a^n^N3'Fi>3W iFi'3'i^6f'i <Frnjlwrin'3ir'ur1ri discoveries from the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng / the Great. After the King created the Thai i w^^rii>3 |Ffnaniiin?iawi^n^93T!jn?N3 |p(1a£js£jiueisfTiN3 FJ alphabet, the Khmer alphabet was ,-v tt/jr>57»S«i3Jp)S > ifaulnimyn still used for recording sacred .. ft&pTyin Gnuarm? asianjIimmmihcinwavisvNaadyi'H L wasorO*/— w£>--/e }'.: !*; 4\" *; books through the Ayutthaya and '5• 1 ftJ stwuua Sa<n n t vi Imiluarm'a §n10 a jj flu ii n >3 fl 1 a >a HRattanakosin periods. ^^.- ?f'; [ * Vako^^i meanwhile, was brought to liui,tiiiJ <iia>3an^'5£jTuu9tani2i''5^'ii,Sa>3f11'Bi,^£julu North of Thailand with its cente fin^nlYicUfiui.viua fl<mflaafa^n^i>3flN>mmiluliu tvn ussu'w^vianEjlileianEun^n^anu^n'auasrnfl^sT'uaan what is now Lamphun Province became the original form of tay>3iviua^a>3iJi^i,rifllriciJtiluanMis^^vifaariwis'3'3j4 Yuan alphabet and the Tua Mue alphabet. These scripts were use a gnu writing northern dialects from time of the Mengrai dynasty. As they were propagated to the Xang Kingdom and the Northea Thailand. ^ilnihu'Siiinri ^ilntfluanmwanjlimtu xii w-H. ©boss1 yju^aiLfiaifnB'3'ra yfavtsntu wlumrwnsfliEnriua;: pnawwnvijjiu-au?i Khmer and Sanskrit inscription in ancient Mon script, found at Sap Bak village, Pak Thong Chai District, Nakhon Ratchasima. The text presents respect to Lord Buddha and other religious leaders of both Buddhist and Hindu faiths. A46 Thai Scripts: 730-Year History