Scope
Segmental scripts: abjads (consonants only), alphabets (consonants and vowels), abugidas (consonants with an inherent vowel) and featural systems, plus the semi-syllabaries that sit inside alphabetic lineages. Pure syllabaries such as Cherokee, Vai, Linear B and kana are left out. Four logographic systems appear in grey only as ancestors.
Reading the map
A point marks a script's place of origin or earliest major centre, not its full range. Selecting a script draws its ancestry in white, its offspring in their own colours, and dotted lines for influence or a debated origin; rings mark where it later spread.
Sources and caveats
Compiled by Claude in October 2026 from standard reference knowledge (Daniels & Bright, The World's Writing Systems; the Unicode Standard's script introductions; Coulmas). Dates are central estimates and many origins are contested. Check the primary literature before citing a single entry.