Editing Sampi (section)

==Numeric sampi==

In the alphabetic [[Greek numeral system|numeral system]], which was probably invented in [[Miletus]] and is therefore sometimes called the "Milesian" system, there are 27 numeral signs: the first nine letters of the alphabet, from [[alpha (letter)|alpha]] (A) to [[theta (letter)|theta]] (Θ) stand for the digits 1–9; the next nine, beginning with [[iota (letter)|iota]] (Ι), stand for the multiples of ten (10, 20, etc. up to 90); and the last nine, beginning with [[rho (letter)|rho]] (Ρ), stand for the hundreds (100 – 900). For this purpose, the 24 letters of the standard classical Greek alphabet were used with the addition of three archaic or local letters: [[digamma]]/''wau'' (Ϝ, <span style="background-color: white;">[[File:Greek Digamma angular.svg|x16px|Ϝ]]</span>, originally denoting the sound {{IPA|/w/}}) for "6", [[koppa (letter)|koppa]] (Ϙ, originally denoting the sound {{IPA|/k/}}) for "90", and sampi for "900". While digamma and koppa were retained in their original alphabetic positions inherited from Phoenician, the third archaic Phoenician character, [[san (letter)|san]]/tsade (Ϻ, denoting an {{IPA|[s]}} sound), was not used in this way. Instead, sampi was chosen, and added at the end of the system, after omega (800).

From this, it has been concluded that the system must have been invented at a time and place when digamma and koppa were still either in use or at least still remembered as parts of the alphabetic sequence, whereas san had either already been forgotten, or at least was no longer remembered with its original alphabetic position. In the latter case, according to a much debated view, sampi itself may in fact have been regarded as being san, but with a new position in the alphabet.

The dating of the emergence of this system, and with it of numeric sampi, has been the object of much discussion. At the end of the 19th century, authors such as Thompson<ref>Thompson, ''Handbook'', p. 114.</ref> placed its full development only in the 3rd century BC. Jeffery<ref name="jeffery"/> states that the system as a whole can be traced much further back, into the 6th century BC. An early, though isolated, instance of apparent use of alphabetic Milesian numerals in Athens occurs on a stone inscribed with several columns of two-digit numerals, of unknown meaning, dated from the middle of the 5th century BC.<ref>{{cite web|title=PHI Greek Inscriptions – IG I³ 1387|url=http://epigraphy.packhum.org/inscriptions/oi?ikey=1592&bookid=4&region=1}}, also known as IG I² 760.</ref><ref name="schärlig"/>

While the emergence of the system as a whole has thus been given a much earlier dating than was often assumed earlier, actual occurrences of the letter sampi in this context have as yet not been found in any early examples. According to Threatte, the earliest known use of numeric sampi in a stone inscription occurs in an inscription in [[Magnesia on the Maeander|Magnesia]] from the 2nd century BC, in a phrase denoting a sum of money ("{{lang|grc|δραχ(μὰς) ϡʹ}})<ref>{{cite web|title=PHI Greek Inscriptions – Magnesia 4|url=http://epigraphy.packhum.org/inscriptions/oi?ikey=260445&bookid=509&region=8&subregion=27}}, also known as Syll³ 695.b.</ref> but the exact numeric meaning of this example is disputed.<ref name="threatte"/> In Athens, the first attestation is only from the beginning of the 2nd century AD, again in an inscription naming sums of money.<ref name="igII2776">{{cite web|url=http://epigraphy.packhum.org/inscriptions/oi?ikey=5028&bookid=5&region=1|title=PHI Greek Insriptions – IG II² 2776}}</ref><ref name="tod"/>

Earlier than the attestations in the full function as a numeral are a few instances where sampi was used in Athens as a mark to enumerate sequences of things in a set, along with the 24 other letters of the alphabet, without implying a specific decimal numeral value. For instance, there is a set of 25 metal tokens, each stamped with one of the letters from alpha to sampi, which are dated to the 4th century BC and were probably used as identification marks for judges in the courts of the Athenian democracy.<ref name="foat3"/><ref name="boegeholdtoken"/>

In [[papyrus]] texts from the [[Ptolemaic Egypt|Ptolemaic]] period onwards, numeric sampi occurs with some regularity.<ref name="tod"/>

At an early stage in the papyri, the numeral sampi was used not only for 900, but, somewhat confusingly, also as a multiplicator for 1000, since a way of marking thousands and their multiples was not yet otherwise provided by the alphabetic system. Writing an alpha over sampi (<span style="background-color: white;">[[File:Greek Sampi 1000.svg|x16px]]</span> or, in a ligature, <span style="background-color: white;">[[File:Greek Sampi 1000 (2).svg|x16px]]</span>) meant "1×1000", a theta over sampi (<span style="background-color: white;">[[File:Greek Sampi 9000.svg|x16px]]</span>) meant "9×1000", and so on. In the examples cited by Gardthausen, a slightly modified shape of sampi, with a shorter right stem (<span style="background-color: white;">[[File:Greek Sampi palaeographic 02.svg|x16px|Ͳ]]</span>), is used.<ref name="gardthausen"/> This system was later simplified into one where the thousands operator was marked just as a small stroke to the left of the letter (͵α = 1000).