This book corrals global scholarship on ancient writing systems from
China, Mesopotamia, Central America, the Mediterranean, to more recent
newly created scripts such as the Rongorongo from Easter Island, the
Caroline Island scripts, as well as the alphabet. The aim is to dig into
the foundations of writing and showcase the complexities and varieties
of scripts, from their invention to the potential decipherment of poorly
understood scripts. The volume offers state-of-the-art research on
undeciphered scripts from the Aegean (as, for example, Cretan
Hieroglyphic and Linear A) or not completely deciphered (as, for
example, Maya) scripts. From a methodological perspective, these
contributions lay out how and why writing was invented, who used it, and
to what ends. Here writing is presented as a multi-modal cultural
phenomenon, which intersects and transcends neat discipline boundaries,
within an inclusive approach bridging archaeology, linguistics,
epigraphy, and cognitive studies. After a general introduction, the book
is organized into three parts. The first part is dedicated to chapters
charting convergent, common trends and patterns in the origin and
developments of writing in completely independent contexts, while never
losing track of local differences and original solutions. The central
part is devoted to exploring different approaches and methods to the
study of undeciphered scripts. The final part showcases current
approaches to early writing and reading.
The Ancient World Online: Writing from Invention to Decipherment
