This sensational discovery made by Volgograd scientist Nikolai Taranov.
The author of the book “Runes of the Slavs and Glagolitz”, Volgograd scientist Nikolai Taranov is sure: the first alphabet on Earth appeared with us.
Director of the Volgograd Institute of Art Education Taranov - holder of many titles: doctor pedagogical sciences, calligrapher, professor, candidate of art history, member of the Union of Artists of Russia. And besides, he is also studying symbols. Doing this, just like in Dan Brown's acclaimed novel, our “Professor Robert Langdon” got on the trail of a medieval church conspiracy and an amazing discovery.
Was the Slavic alphabet invented long before Kirill?
Who invented the Slavic alphabet? Ask any schoolchild - he will answer: Cyril and Methodius. For this merit Orthodox Church calls the brother monks equal to the apostles. But what kind of alphabet did Kirill come up with - Cyrillic or Glagolitic? (Methodius, this is known and proven, supported his brother in everything, but was the “brain of the operation” and educated person Monk Kirill was the one who knew many languages. About this in scientific world There are still disputes. Some Slavic researchers say: “Cyrillic! It is named after its creator.” Others object: “Glagolitic! The first letter of this alphabet looks like a cross. Kirill is a monk. This is a sign." It is stated as an axiom that before Cyril’s work there was no written language in Rus'. Volgograd scientist Nikolai Taranov categorically disagrees with this.
“The assertion that there was no written language in Rus' before Cyril and Methodius is based on one single document - the “Tale of Writing” by the monk Khrabra, found in Bulgaria,” says Nikolai Taranov. – There are 73 lists from this scroll. At the same time, different copies, due to translation errors or scribe errors, have completely different versions of the key phrase for us. In one version we find: “the Slavs before Cyril did not have books”, in the other - “letters”, but at the same time the author indicates: “they wrote with lines and cuts.” It is interesting that Arab travelers who visited Rus' back in the 8th century, that is, even before Rurik and even more so before Cyril, described the funeral of one Russian prince: “After the funeral, his soldiers wrote something on a white tree (birch) in honor of the prince, and then, mounting their horses, they departed.” And in the “Life of Cyril,” known to the Russian Orthodox Church, we read: “In the city of Korsun, Cyril met a Rusyn (Russian), who had with him books written in Russian characters.” Then Kirill, whose mother was a Slav, took some of his letters out of his bag and with their help began to read those very books of the Rusyn. Moreover, these were not thin books. These were, as stated in the same “Life of Cyril,” the “Psalter” and “Gospel” translated into Russian. There is a lot of evidence that Rus' had its own alphabet long before Cyril. And Lomonosov spoke about the same thing. He cited as evidence the testimony of Pope VIII, a contemporary of Cyril, which states that Cyril did not invent these writings, but rediscovered them.
Then a legitimate question: why did Kirill create the Russian alphabet if it already existed? Because the monk Cyril had an assignment from the Moravian prince - to create an alphabet for the Slavs suitable for translating church books. Which is what he did. The letters with which church books are now written, and in a modified form - all of our today's printed media, textbooks and fiction, this is the work of Kirill, that is, “Cyrillic”. 
WHY DID THE GLAGOLITIC DESTROYED?
“There are 22 points that prove that the Glagolitic alphabet was older than the Cyrillic alphabet,” says Nikolai Taranov.
“Palimpsest” is a concept among archaeologists and philologists. This is the name of an inscription made on top of another inscription scraped out with a knife or destroyed in another way. In the Middle Ages, parchment made from the skin of a young lamb was quite expensive, and in order to save money, scribes often destroyed “unnecessary” records and documents, and wrote something new on the scraped sheet. Everywhere in Russian palimpsests the Glagolitic alphabet is erased, and on top of it there are inscriptions in Cyrillic. There are no exceptions to this rule.
- There are only five monuments left in the world written in Glagolitic script. The rest were destroyed. Moreover, in my opinion, the records in Glagolitic were destroyed deliberately,” says Professor Nikolai Taranov. – Because Glagolitic was not suitable for recording church books. The numerical meaning of the letters (and then there was a very strong belief in numerology) in it was different from what was required in Christianity. Out of respect for the Glagolitic alphabet, Kirill left in his alphabet the same letter names as they were. And they are very, very complex for an alphabet that was “born” in the 9th century, as stated. Even then, all languages strived for simplification; the letters in all alphabets of that time denoted only sounds. And only in the Slavic alphabet are the names of the letters: “Good”, “People”, “Think”, “Earth” and so on. And all because the Glagolitic alphabet is very ancient. It has many features of pictographic writing.
For reference: pictographic writing is a type of writing whose signs (pictograms) indicate the object they depict. The latest finds by archaeologists speak in favor of this version. Thus, tablets with Slavic writing (the so-called Tertian writing) were found, the age of which dates back to 5000 years BC.
This discovery about the antiquity of our original alphabet is of great importance for the entire Slavic world, says Volgograd scientist Nikolai Taranov. – So the professor of the Kyiv Academy of Arts, calligrapher Vasily Chabanyk, after listening to my theory, became very interested and invited me to give lectures in Kyiv. After all, whatever you say, our peoples have the same alphabet and ancient history- Same. But, unfortunately, due to the current political events in Kyiv, I cannot go there.
Professor Semchenko from the Minsk Academy of Arts is also very interested and supports this version. I spoke about this at two International Calligraphy Exhibitions. And even foreign scientists, the French and the British, who seemed to be far from the history of the Slavic world and its writing, after listening to the lecture through an interpreter, came up to me and shook my hand. They said: “This is amazing, we have never heard anything like this.”
Probably, the discovery of Professor Taranov will still be talked about in the world. The chairman of the Russian Union of Calligraphers, Pyotr Chibitko, also became seriously interested in this version of the antiquity of the Slavic alphabet. And the other day, an open lecture by Nikolai Taranov about Glagolitic and Cyrillic, about the sacred meaning of the symbols of the oldest alphabet on Earth, appeared on Youtube.
NUMEROLOGY OF THE GLAGOLITICA
Each sign in the Glagolitic alphabet has a sacred meaning and represents a specific number.
The sign “Az” is a person, number 1.
The sign “I know” is number 2, the sign looks like eyes and a nose: “I see, that means I know.”
The sign “Live” is the number 7, life and reality of this world.
The sign “Zelo” is the number 8, the reality of a miracle and something supernatural: “too”, “very” or “zelo”.
The sign of “Good” is the number 5, the only number that gives birth to its own kind or decade: “Good gives birth to good.”
The sign “People” is the number 50, according to numerology - the world from where human souls come to us.
The sign “Ours” - the number 70, symbolizes the connection between the heavenly and the earthly, i.e. our world, given to us in sensations.
The Omega sign is the number 700, a certain divine world, the “Seventh Heaven”. At the same time, the “Omega” sign, the Volgograd scientist believes, resembles a star with prominences in an older design, and in a later, stylized design, a horseshoe. Because among the ancient Slavs, the star, now known as Omega, was called the Horseshoe and was considered a guiding star.
The sign “Earth” - according to Taranov, means a picture: the Earth and the Moon in the same orbit.
“Only a genius could create the Glagolitic alphabet”!
All modern alphabets in Europe originate from the Phoenician alphabet. In it, the letter A, as we were told, represents the head of a bull, which then turned over with its horns down.
“And the ancient Greek historian Photius of Sicily wrote: “These letters are called Phoenician, although it would be more correct to call them Pelasgic, since the Pelasgians used them,” says Nikolai Taranov. – Do you know who the Pelasgians are? These are the ancestors of the Slavs, the Proto-Slavic tribes. The Phoenicians stood out among the surrounding dark-skinned, black-haired tribes of farmers, Egyptians and Sumerians, with fair skin and red hair. Moreover, their passion for travel: they were excellent sailors.
In the 12th century BC, the Pelasgians took part in the Great Migration of Peoples, and individual groups of desperate conquerors of new lands wandered to the ends of the world. This allows the Volgograd professor to put forward a version: the Phoenicians were familiar with the Slavs and borrowed their alphabet. Why else would an alphabetic alphabet suddenly form next to Egyptian hieroglyphs and Sumerian cuneiform?
They say that the Glagolitic alphabet was too decorative and complex, so it was gradually replaced by the more rational Cyrillic alphabet. I wrote down the epithets that were “awarded” to the Glagolitic alphabet: “ugly”, “inconvenient”, etc. But Glagolitic was not so bad at all, Professor Taranov is sure. – I studied the earliest versions: the first letter of the Glagolitic alphabet does not mean a cross at all, but a person. That is why it is called “Az” - I. Each person is a starting point for himself. I would say: this is the most human alphabet on Earth. The entire meaning of letters in Glagolitic is through the prism of human perception.
I drew the first letter of this alphabet on transparent film. Look, if you put it on other Glagolitic letters, you get a pictogram! Not every designer will come up with such a way that every grapheme falls into the grid. I’m telling you this as an expert. I am amazed by the artistic integrity of this alphabet. The unknown author of Glagolitic was a genius! Such a clear connection between a symbol and its digital and sacred meaning not in any other alphabet in the world!
A book is like an entrance ticket to a whole world - the world of children's literature. The first alphabet appeared in Russia in the 16th century. Together with Natalya Letnikova, we invite you to look into five pre-revolutionary books for teaching reading and find out their history.
“ABC” by Ivan Fedorov
The printer published the first primer in 1574 in Lvov. “For the sake of rapid infant learning,” it is written from the compiler. The alphabet is arranged in a straight line, reverse order and at random. 40 sheets of 15 lines on each page are written in Old Church Slavonic with a black ornament of woven leaves, buds, flowers and cones, characteristic of Fedorov’s edition. Scientists are inclined to believe that this is “the first printed literacy textbook for Eastern Slavs" The only known copy of Fedorov's ABC that has survived to this day is in the Harvard University library. It is assumed that the book once belonged to the collector of antiquities Grigory Stroganov, Sergei Diaghilev bought the rarity from the heirs of the count, and only then the book came overseas.
“A Primer of the Slovenian Language” by Vasily Burtsov
The first manual on teaching literacy in Moscow was published in 1634. It replaced the Psalter in this matter. The author was Vasily Burtsov, the “primary clerk” of the Moscow Printing House. The printer retained the structure of the alphabet of his predecessor Ivan Fedorov, but collected the alphabet, syllables, reading texts, names of numbers and punctuation marks under one cover. The book teaches grammar and spelling.
The second part contains prayers and parables of King Solomon. Burtsov's primer appeared before readers in color: the publisher highlighted the letters, syllables and section names in red. The book became the main textbook for teaching literacy in the center of Russia. In the second edition, the printer added a moralizing engraving. First picture on school theme in the primer - everything is like in a pre-revolutionary school: the teacher punishes the student with rods. Authentic editions of Burtsov's primer are kept in the Russian State Library.
"Primer" by Karion Istomin
The first illustrated Russian alphabet with an ornate title: “A primer of Slavic-Russian letters, statutory and cursive, Greek, Latin and Polish with formations of things and with moralizing verses: To the glory of the All-Creator Lord God and in honor of the Most Pure Virgin Mary and all the saints.” The first copies were presented by the publisher and teacher of children of the royal family, Karion Istomin, to the mother of Peter the Great, Tsarina Natalia Kirillovna, for her grandson, Tsarevich Alexei. The design is in accordance with the status - the handwritten book is painted with gold and paints. The printed edition was published in 1694 in 106 copies. 43 sheets engraved on copper, each with an initial letter of human figures, objects for this letter and moralizing explanations. The drawings were made by Leonty Bunin, a student of the Dutch engraver at the Schonebeek Armory. One of the copies of Istomin’s Primer is kept in the St. Petersburg Public Library.
"ABC" by Leo Tolstoy
More than the alphabet. Not only an introduction to the alphabet, but also moral stories for reading, learning to count, stories on history, natural history, and life in exotic countries. Four big books. Lev Nikolaevich made the first sketches in 1868. The classic did not initially intend to limit himself only to “letter addition”; he sought to make training manual interesting for “little men”. I checked how clearly the material was presented - in home school. Thirty students learned the basics of literacy under the guidance of Tolstoy, his wife Sofia Andreevna and older children. “ABC” was published in 1872 and caused controversy among teachers. The “nationality” of the language and methodological approaches were criticized. The reaction forced Tolstoy to postpone work on Anna Karenina and in 1875 to release The New Alphabet; during the classic’s lifetime, the manual went through over thirty reprints. The “ABC” itself comes out of the printing house in the 21st century, Lev Nikolaevich’s children’s stories are an integral part of children’s anthologies. For a generation now, “little men” have been shedding tears over the story of the lion and the dog and worrying about Filipko.
“The ABC in Pictures” by Alexandre Benois
Whole entertaining world on book pages. Even the moralizing statement “Teaching is holy and unlearning is darkness” is written not on a slate board by the teacher, but on a piece of paper held... in the paw of an owl. Alexander Benois, a Russian artist, art historian, and world-famous illustrator, left only letters and a few words in his alphabet, filling the children's book with inimitable images. It was no coincidence that Benoit took up the book for the little ones.
The artist believed that aesthetic taste should be cultivated from childhood. The letters are just an organic addition to the illustrations at a level never before seen in children's book publishing. Together with the little reader, the Arab Iakinth travels through the alphabet - and this is how the story is told from the first letter “a” to Izhitsa. “I learned to read and write in Russian”, - concludes at the end of the book main character. The author of the book, Alexander Benois, taught his followers-publishers the fantasy that is so necessary when designing a children's book.
Cyril and Methodius, Slavic educators, creators of the Slavic alphabet, preachers of Christianity, the first translators of liturgical books from Greek to Slavic language. Cyril (before accepting monasticism in early 869 - Constantine) (827 - 02/14/869) and his older brother Methodius (815 - 04/06/885) were born in Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki) in the family of a military leader.
Cyril was educated at the court of the Byzantine Emperor Michael III in Constantinople, where Photius was one of his teachers. Knew Slavic, Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Arabic languages. Refusing the administrative career offered to him by the emperor, Kirill became a patriarchal librarian, then taught philosophy (received the nickname “Philosopher”).
In the 40s successfully participated in disputes with iconoclasts; in the 50s was in Syria, where he won a victory in theological disputes with Muslims. Around 860 he made a diplomatic trip to the Khazars. Methodius entered early military service. For 10 years he was the manager of one of the regions inhabited by the Slavs. Then he retired to a monastery. In the 60s, having renounced the rank of archbishop, he became abbot of the Polychron monastery on the Asian shore of the Sea of Marmara.
In 863, Cyril and Methodius were sent by the Byzantine emperor to Moravia in order to preach Christianity in the Slavic language and assist the Moravian prince Rostislav in the fight against the German feudal lords. Before leaving, Cyril created the Slavic alphabet and, with the help of Methodius, translated several liturgical books from Greek into Slavic (selected readings from the Gospel, apostolic epistles, psalms, etc.).
There is no consensus in science on the question of which alphabet Kirill created - Glagolitic or Cyrillic (most scientists believe that Glagolitic). The preaching of the brothers in the Slavic language, understandable to the Moravian population, laid the foundation of the national church, but caused discontent among the German Catholic clergy. Cyril and Methodius were accused of heresy.
In 866 (or 867), Cyril and Methodius, at the call of Pope Nicholas I, headed to Rome, and along the way they visited the Principality of Blaten (Pannonia), where they also distributed Slavic literacy and Slavic liturgical rites. Pope Adrian II, in a special message, allowed them to distribute Slavic books and Slavic worship. After arriving in Rome, Kirill became seriously ill and died. Methodius was consecrated to the rank of Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia and in 870 returned from Rome to Pannonia. The German clergy, who sought to deal with Methodius, through intrigue, achieved his imprisonment; After his release from prison, Methodius continued his activities in Moravia.
In 882-884 he lived in Byzantium. In mid-884, Methodius returned to Moravia and worked on translating the Bible into Slavic. With their activities, Cyril and Methodius laid the foundation for Slavic writing and literature. This activity was continued in the South Slavic countries by the disciples of Cyril and Methodius, expelled from Moravia in 886.
Lit.: Lavrov P. A., Materials on the history of the origin of ancient Slavic writing, Leningrad, 1930; Ilyinsky G. A., Experience of systematic Cyrillic and Methodological bibliography, Sofia, 1934; Popruzhenko M. G., Romanski S., Kirilo-matodievsk bibliography for 1934-1940, Sofia, 1942; Gratsiansky N., Activities of Constantine and Methodius in the Great Moravian Principality, "Questions of History", 1945, No. 1; Chernykh P. Ya., On the history of the issue of “Russian writings” in the life of Constantine the Philosopher, “Educational journal of Yaroslavl State University”, 1947, century. 9 (19); Teodorov-Balan A., Kiril and Metodi, V. 1 - 2, Sofia, 1920 - 34; Georgiev E., Kiril and Methodius, founders of Slavic literature, Sofia, 1956; him, Cyril and Methodius. Istinata za zzdatetelite na bulgarskata i slavyanska pismenost, Sofia, 1969; K u ev K. M., Question for the beginning of the Slavic writings, "Godishnik at Sofia University", 1960, vol. 54, book 1. his, Otnovo for Godinata, Kogato e beat the Slavic alphabet, “Historically Pregled”, Sofia, 1960, book. 3; Konstantin Kiril philosopher. Anniversary collection on the occasion of the 1100th anniversary of smarta mu, Sofia, 1969.
It is probably very difficult to imagine your life without electricity. But before, people wrote and read by candlelight. But imagining your life without writing is even more difficult. Maybe someone will think that it would be great and wouldn’t have to write dictations and essays. But in this case there would be no books, no libraries, no SMS and even email. Language, like a mirror, reflects the whole world and a person’s whole life.
But man did not always know how. The art of writing evolved long time, many millennia. But there is someone who is the creator of the alphabet, someone whom a person should thank for such an invaluable opportunity. Many people have probably wondered more than once about who created the alphabet of the Russian language.
Cyril and Methodius - creators of the Russian alphabet
Once upon a time there lived two Byzantine brothers - Cyril and Methodius. It was thanks to them that the Russian alphabet was created, they became the first creators.
Methodius, the eldest son, who chose the military path, went to serve in one of the Slavic regions. His younger brother Kirill was partial to science even as a child; teachers were amazed by his knowledge. At the age of 14, his parents sent him to Constantinople, where he managed to master many knowledge in a short period of time: grammar, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, medicine, Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Slavic.
In 863, ambassadors from Moravia visited Constantinople. They arrived with a request to provide a preacher to their country to study the Christian population. The emperor decided that the brothers, Cyril and Methodius, should go to Moravia. Before setting off, Cyril asked the Moravians if they had an alphabet. The answer was negative. The Moravians did not have an alphabet. The brothers didn't have much time. Cyril and Methodius worked hard from early morning until late evening. And so they managed to quickly create an alphabet for the Moravians, named after their younger brother - the Cyrillic alphabet.
Thanks to the created Slavic alphabet, it was not difficult for the brothers to translate the main liturgical books from Greek into Slavic. Now we know who first created the alphabet.
What happened next?After Methodius died in 885, the disciples and followers of the brothers began to continue the work. They defended services in the Slavic language. Somewhere around this time, the students created another Slavic alphabet. Today there is no certainty about which alphabet was developed by Kirill and which by his students and successors. There is an assumption that Kirill composed the Glagolitic alphabet, after which, on its basis, he developed the Cyrillic alphabet, which was named after the first creator of the Russian alphabet. Perhaps Kirill himself was involved in improving the primary alphabet, but all his students completed it.
PeculiaritiesThe Russian alphabet was created on the basis of the Cyrillic alphabet, which is a reworking Greek alphabet. The creators of the Russian alphabet took into account the phonetic features of the Old Church Slavonic language and 
19 letters were introduced into it that were absent in the Greek letter.
The originality of the alphabet created by Cyril and Methodius was manifested in the fact that in order to indicate one sound, one letter had to be used.
As for writing in Cyrillic letters, they were used only at the beginning of a paragraph. Large capital letter They painted beautifully, so the first line was called “red”, that is, a beautiful line.
Thanks to the first creator of the alphabet of the Russian language, today people can write. And if it weren’t for the brothers Cyril and Methodius, we wouldn’t be able to do anything.
Cyril and Methodius were the first to come up with the alphabet. Cyril and Methodius were brothers and Christian preachers and were the first to create the Old Slavonic alphabet and language. They developed a special alphabet for writing texts - the Glagolitic alphabet. They are revered as saints in both the West and the East. In Russian Orthodoxy, the day of remembrance of the saints: Methodius - April 6, Cyril - February 14.
The Slavic alphabet was created Cyril and Methodius.
By the way, this does not mean that before this time all people were illiterate. Before the Cyrillic and Glagolitic alphabet, there was Velesovitsa. Even villagers could write a simple message.
the question involuntarily arises: why is everyone so silent about the Old Russian initial letter???? which has ancient roots going back to the runes (which in general were the matrix of the universe) each symbol carried enormous information. CREATED - it means invented....... and if these symbols already existed then what is it called???? or is it all fiction about the ancient Slavic initial letter???????
He had a hand in the creation of the Slavic alphabet Byzantine emperor Michael III, on whose orders the brothers-monks, Greeks by nationality, Constantine (Cyril) and Methodius, streamlined the writing of the Old Church Slavonic language. The creators of the alphabet were the most educated people of their time. Kirill And Methodius were engaged in educational activities. The Slavs owe it to them for the appearance of the alphabet. There was an urgent need for this: Greek religious texts urgently needed to be translated for the Slavs, as Christianity expanded its possessions. According to scientists, around 863 they created the Slavic alphabet of more than 43 letters. Their original number is unknown. The basis of the Slavic letter was the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet, but Slavic speech contained many more sounds, so they also had to be designated by letters.
In connection with the need for Christian preaching among the Slavs, the creation of Slavic writing was caused.
Translation from Greek language The Bible and liturgical texts in the Slavic language were entrusted by Emperor Michael III and Patriarch Photius to the apologist of Eastern Christianity Constantine (Cyril) and his brother Methodius.
It is these two people who are considered the creators of the Glagolitic alphabet.
Scientists claim that the creator of the Cyrillic alphabet is not Cyril, but a disciple of Methodius Kliment Ohridski.
The Slavic alphabet was invented by two people, the brothers Cyril and Methodius. But Kirill's real name was Konstantin. In 869, Constantine became a monk and received the name Cyril. By nationality, Cyril and Methodius are Greeks, born in Thessaloniki, we know the area as Thessaloniki.
And the alphabet was invented in 863.
In general, from history school curriculum I distinctly remember that the following characters were the first to be mentioned in the creation of the alphabet. These are Methodius and Cyril. History takes us back to the distant year 863; according to various versions and chronicles, around this time these individuals received the task of systematizing the letters of the written language.
At first it was oral creativity, over time, knowledge accumulated, it was necessary to record and perpetuate the exploits of Russian heroes, the glorious deeds of princes. Two Greeks were sent from Byzantium, who created the Russian alphabet within a year; they systematized sounds and symbols into one alphabet. Cyril and Methodius were the first to come up with the alphabet; they became familiar with the alphabet in 863.
The first Old Church Slavonic alphabet is called the Cyrillic alphabet. Named after one of the compilers of Cyril and Mythodius. They were brothers and Christian preachers.
The year of creation of the Cyrillic alphabet is considered to be 863. However, this does not mean that before this time people were illiterate. Before this there were other alphabets. Now there is a debate that the original Cyrillic alphabet was the Glagolitic alphabet.
Of course, these were the famous Cyril and Methodius. It was these two outstanding people who jointly created the Russian alphabet. And it’s not for nothing that the Russian alphabet is called Cyrillic, named after them. The Russian Orthodox Church even elevated them to sainthood.
The name of the Slavic alphabet comes from the name of one of the brothers, Christian preachers - Cyril (Constantine the Philosopher) and Methodius (Michael) from the city of Thessaloniki (Thessaloniki), who are its authors.
It is believed that Kirill decided to use letters not just as a means of transmitting sounds, but also to give them names, to endow special significance. Here is one version of reading the alphabetic Cyrillic message:
Read more here.