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Message:: [QUOTE="dltsrq, post: 8442964, member: 75482"]The inscriptions on Byzantine coins are sometimes a mish-mash of Latin and Greek letters, reflecting the medieval mish-mash of Latin and Greek culture. That said, THEOUPOLIS is the Latinization of Greek ΘEOY ("of God") + ΠOΛIΣ ("city"). City names ending -polis are ultimately Greek in origin. There is a letter P (Rho) in Greek but it carries the "r" sound. Although "C" is sometimes found in Greek, it is actually a late form of Σ, not to be confused with Latin C. CON vs KON, then, is relatively straightforward: Latin CONSTANTINOPOLIS vs Greek KONΣTANTINOYΠOΛIΣ. However, CART and KART are both Latin (note the Latin letter R which does not appear in the Greek alphabet). The various sounds possible with Greek K were divided among C, K, and Q in the Latin alphabet. The alternate Latin spellings apparently derive from the Punic origin of the name, nuance of pronunciation and the element of time. Be careful not to confuse Greek Σ with Ξ, which it sometimes looks like. In Greek, Ξ (Xi) carries the "x" sound while X (Chi) is somewhere closer to the sound made when clearing one's throat. Σ (Sigma), of course, is "s". Thus, AΛEΞANΔPEIA. Perplexing, isn't it? (But fun!) If I am wrong on any of these points, I will gladly accept correction.[/QUOTE]