Letter-forms as Evidence for Dating Inscriptions

In archaic Greek lettering no less than in other scripts there is a distinction between the formal and the informal or cursive style. It is not a conspicuous difference, like that between a formal inscription on stone from Pompeii and a contemporary graffito on one of the house-walls; and for that reason it is apt to be overlooked in modern commentaries on the chronological development of the Greek alphabet. But it is essential to remember that caution must be used when we compare the lettering of any inscription on stone or bronze with that of any painted inscription. The letter-forms used by the vase-painter will almost certainly be considerably more developed than those cut by a contemporary mason.

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