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''For other texts, see wiki:EnglishStyleGuide. For pronunciation of specific name strings, see wiki:Audio_Voice_List.''

This guide provides some ground rules to write specific names for '''0 A.D.'''

Specific names are in the native language, not in English. Every language has its own orthography (conventions to write down a language). To avoid unnecessary confusion, be consistent and stick to the rules listed below. When in doubt, consult a dictionary (sound advice for any language).

Carthaginians, Iberians?

'''Bibliography''':
* R. S. P. Beekes ''Comparative Indo-European Linguistics / An Introduction / Second edition'' [revised and corrected by Michiel de Vaan] (Amsterdam / Philadelphia 2011)
* P. T. Daniels, W. Bright (eds.) ''The World's Writing Systems'' (Oxford 1996)


== Gaulish
Gaulish is the language used for the Britons and Gauls.
* It has one unique character, the so-called ''tau gallicum'', which is typically transliterated as an eth Ð ð, and was probably pronounced /t͡s/.

'''Bibliography''':


== Greek
Ancient Greek is the language used for the Athenians, Macedonians, Ptolemies, Seleucids, and Spartans.

There exist numerous systems to transcribe Greek; one is not intrinsically better than any other. However, consistency matters, so please stick to the system listed below:
* consonants:
  * β, π, φ, ψ → b, p, ph, ps
  * γ → n (before γ, κ, χ, ξ), g (elsewhere)
  * κ, χ, ξ → k, ch, x
  * δ, τ, θ → d, t, th
  * σ/ϲ/ς, ζ → s, z
  * λ, μ, ν → l, m, n
  * ρ → r, but initial ῥ → rh
* vowels:
  * α, ε, η, ι, ο, ω → a, e, ē, i, o, ō
  * ᾳ, ῃ, ῳ → ai, ēi, ōi
  * υ → u (after vowels and before ι), y (elsewhere)
* accents and vowel length are ignored
Other things to take care of:
* names are in the nominative; genitive is the case for combining nouns; also check the number (singular, dual, plural) and gender (masculine, feminine, neuter); adjectives should match the nouns they belong to.

(See https://wildfiregames.com/forum/index.php?/topic/25202-transliteration-of-ancient-greek-into-english/ for the choice made.)

'''Bibliography''':
* H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. Stuart Jones, R. !McKenzie ''A Greek–English Lexicon / Ninth edition / With a Revised Supplement'' (Oxford 1940; 1996)
* https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/roman.html


== Latin
Classical Latin is the language used for the Romans.

Writing Latin is easy, because, well, it uses the Latin alphabet. However, check to ensure:
* dictionaries indicate vowel length, so do we; thus: ''hastātus'', not ''hastatus''
* write ae and oe, not æ and œ, nor e; thus ''Caesar'', not ''Cæsar'' or ''Cesar''
* differentiate between u and v
* do not differentiate between i and j, both are written i
* names are in the nominative; genitive is the case for combining nouns; also check the number (singular, plural) and gender (masculine, feminine, neuter); adjectives should match the nouns they belong to
* sometimes words are plural only, e.g. ''insidiae'' ‘ambush’; check the whole string has the proper number

'''Bibliography''':
* P. G. W. Glare (ed.) ''Oxford Latin Dictionary / Second edition'' (Oxford 2012)


== Meroitic
Meroitic is the language used for the Kushites.

'''Bibliography''':
* https://www.ifao.egnet.net/publications/outils/polices/
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meroitic_script
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transliteration_of_Ancient_Egyptian


== Old Persian
Old Persian is the language used for the Persians. 

When writing Persian, ensure:
* check your strings are in the nominative
* indicate vowel length (ā as opposed to a)
* use x, not kh
* use š, not sh
* use ç, not ch
* use θ, not th

||='''cuneiform'''=||='''transliteration'''=||='''specific name'''=||='''generic name'''=||
||𐏃𐎧𐎠𐎶𐎴𐎡𐏁 ||h-x-a-m-n-i-š ||Haxāmaniš ||Achaemenes ||
||𐎨𐎡𐏁𐎱𐎡𐏁 ||c-i-š-p-i-š ||Čišpiš ||Teispes ||
||𐎠𐎼𐎡𐎹𐎠𐎼𐎶𐎴 ||a-r-i-y-a-r-m-n ||Ariyāramna ||Ariaramnes ||
||𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠𐎶 ||a-r-š-a-m ||Aršāma ||Arsames ||
||𐎻𐏁𐎫𐎠𐎿𐎱 ||v^i^-š-t-a-s-p ||Vištāspa ||Hystaspes ||
||𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 ||k^u^-u-r^u^-u-š ||Kuruš ||Cyrus ||
||𐎣𐎲𐎢𐎪𐎡𐎹 ||k-b-u-j^i^-i-y ||Kabūjiya ||Cambyses ||
||𐎲𐎼𐎮𐎡𐎹 ||b-r-d^i^-i-y ||Bardiya ||Smerdis ||
||𐎥𐎢𐎶𐎠𐎫 ||g-u-m-a-t ||Gaumāta || ||
||𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ||d-a-r-y-v-u-š ||Dārayava(h)uš ||Darius||
||𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 ||x-š-y-a-r-š-a ||Xšayāršā ||Xerxes||
||𐎠𐎼𐎫𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎠 ||a-r-t-x-š-ç-a ||Artaxšaçā ||Artaxerxes||

'''Bibliography''':
* P. Lecoq ''Les inscriptions de la Perse achéménide'' (1997)
* R. Schmitt ''Die altpersischen Inschriften der Achaimeniden / Editio minor mit deutscher Übersetzung'' (Wiesbaden 2009)
* P. O. Skjærvø ''An Introduction to Old Persian'' (Cambridge, MA 2016) [https://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~iranian/OldPersian/opcomplete.pdf pdf]
* https://www.livius.org/sources/content/achaemenid-royal-inscriptions/


== Sanskrit
(Vedic or Classical?) Sanskrit is the language used for the Mauryas; specific names ought to use the International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST).

'''Bibliography''':