Lexarithmos

# History

Lexarithmos was a writing system created by Athens during the First World War. It was ingeniously used to communicate with allies and maintain secrecy in wartime.

Athens devised a cryptic communication system that allowed them to share vital information with their allies while safeguarding it from prying enemy eyes. The system consisted of assigning numerical values to Greek letters, and only those with the key could decipher the hidden messages.

If the messenger fell into the hands of the enemy and was eliminated, all that the captors would find were strings of numbers, devoid of meaning or context. The lexarithmos system was a vital tool in the Athenians' quest to protect their wartime strategies and intelligence, ensuring that only those entrusted with the key could unveil their crucial messages.

# System

The Message would be a Letter in the end of the message and numbers before this letter, the letter in the end was the key for the reader to can unlock the message... in the majority of the messages the key was to be removed from the text.

for example if the message was "23568889K" the reader would need to translate 23568889 and then erase all the K from it to understand the message. The Word "Αριθμος" dosent means Number as modern greeks expect to mean.

Αριθμος is a Lexarithmos word that gives the name of the man who created Lexarithmos system. here is how...

Below are the Lexarithmos numbers of ancient greece. NOT to be confused with the math numbers of ancient greece.

Ι = 1

ΙΙ = 2

ΙΙΙ = 3

ΙΙΙΙ = 4

Π = 5

ΠΙ = 6

ΠΙΙ = 7

ΠΙΙΙ = 8

ΠΙΙΙΙ = 9

Δ = 10

ΔΙ = 11

ΔΙΙ = 12

ΔΙΙΙ = 13

ΔΙΙΙΙ = 14

ΔΠ = 15

ΔΠΙ = 16

ΔΔ = 20

ΔΔΠ = 25

ΔΔΠΙ = 26

ΔΔΔ = 30

ΔΔΔΠ = 35

ΔΠΔ = 50

ΔΠΔΙ = 51

Η = 100 ( Η and Χ were not used in words but they were included in the texts to confuse the enemy eyes, the allies of athens knew that they were false numbers)

ΗΔΠΔΙ = 151

Χ = 1,000

ΧΗΔΠΔΙ = 1,151

The ancient greek letter's were

Α α = Ι

Β β = ΙΙ

Γ γ = ΙΙΙ

δ = ΙΙΙΙ (δ was the same letter with Δ, the Athenians however was using δ in the text if δ was part of the word. this was a unique trick to trick the enemy, which was used again with ι , η , π and χ.)

Ε ε - Π

Ϝ ϝ - ΠΙ

Ζ ζ - ΠΙΙ

η - ΠΙΙΙ

Θ θ - ΠΙΙΙΙ

ι - Δ

Κ κ - ΔΙ

Λ λ - ΔΙΙ

Μ μ - ΔΙΙΙ

Ν ν - ΔΙΙΙΙ

Ξ ξ - ΔΠ

Ο ο - ΔΠΙ

π - ΔΠΙΙ

Ϙ ϙ - ΔΠΙΙΙ

Ρ ρ - ΔΠΙΙΙΙ

Σ σ/ς - ΔΔ

Τ τ - ΔΔΙ

Υ υ - ΔΔΙΙ

Φ φ - ΔΔΙΙΙ

Χ χ - ΔΔΙΙΙΙ

Ψ ψ - ΔΔΠ

Ω ω - ΔΔΠΙ

The word Αριθμος is encoded as "ΙΔΠΙΙΙΙΔΠΙΙΙΙΔΙΙΙΔΠΙΔΔ." When written backwards, it becomes "ΔΔΙΠΙΙΙΙΔΙΙΙΠΙΙΔΠΙΔΙ," which, in turn, is decoded as "ΤΕδΜΖΟΚ." This term, "ΤΕδΜΖΟΚ," corresponds to the name "Τεοδαμαζος" or "Teodamazos," who was the creator of Lexarithmos."

# Lets play

For an English modern version that emulates the structure of the ancient Greek Lexarithmos system, using digital numbers and English letters, along with similar traps.

A string of numbers is followed by a single letter, functioning as the deciphering key. Removing this key letter is pivotal to unraveling the encoded content.

For example, given a message like "23568889K," the recipient would decode the numbers (23568889) and then eliminate all instances of the letter 'K' to reveal the actual message.

Modern English Lexarithmos alphabet (This is a example Lexarithmos, as far the writer knows there is no other Lexarithmos in history but the ancient greek one.)

A = 1

B = 2

C = 3

D , d = 4

E = 5

F = 6

G = 7

H = 8

I = 9

J = 10

K = 11

L = 12

M = 13

N = 14

O = 15

P = 16

Q = 20

R = 25

S = 26

T = 30

U = 35

V = 50

W = 51

X = 100

Y = 151

Z = 1,000

As with the ancient Greek system, traps are strategically placed in our encoding.

- Certain letters (X, Y, and Z) act as decoys, included to confuse unintended readers.

- The letter 'D' holds a dual role, sometimes represented as both 'D' and 'd,' a tactic mirroring the Athenian use of 'δ' in place of 'Δ' to confound adversaries.

# "51930812155051315257114112561151K"

Decoded (without the key letter 'K'): "WITHLOVEMORGANALEFAY"

"WITH LOVE MORGANA LEFAY"