ϡ (sampi, also written Ϡ ϡ) is the Greek numeral for 900, a letter that survived only in the alphabetic numeral system after the classical Greek alphabet was standardized. Its name is obscure—possibly derived from sampi (like san and pi), or from a Semitic root. In shape, it resembles a broken or inverted pi, and it was used in inscriptions and papyri from the Hellenistic period onward, primarily as a number sign.

Position on the Tree of Life

In Liber 777, ϡ appears at Path 31 (the 31st scale step) and also as the Malkuth (10) correspondence in the Greek Alphabet row. This places it at the foundation of the Tree, the sphere of the material world, and on the path that connects Malkuth to Yesod—the link between the physical and the astral.

Historical context

The sampi sign has a tangled history. It is one of the three “episēma” (additional letters) of the Greek numeral system, alongside ϛ (stigma, 6) and ϟ (koppa, 90). Unlike those, sampi never had a phonetic value in the classical alphabet; it was purely a numeral. Its origin is debated: it may derive from the archaic letter san (Ϻ), or from a cursive form of tau with a loop, or from the Phoenician tsade. In manuscripts, it often appears as a vertical line with a horizontal stroke (like a T with a curved top) or as a shape resembling a modern “ϡ”. It was used in Greek papyri for sums of money and in astronomical tables. By the Byzantine period, it was sometimes replaced by the abbreviation “ϡ” or even by the word “ἐννεακόσια”. In magical texts, sampi occasionally appears as a mystical sign, especially in the Greek Magical Papyri, where it is used in voces magicae and as a symbol of completion (900 being the highest numeral before 1000).

Closing

In the table of Liber 777, ϡ is the Greek letter assigned to Malkuth and to Path 31, linking the numerical finality of 900 with the material sphere and the transformative path that rises from it. Its rarity and purely numeric function make it a fitting symbol for the hidden, structural foundations of the alphabet.