Exploring Writing Systems and Practices in the Bronze Age Aegean (Hardcover)

Philippa M. Steele

ISBN 10: 1789259010 / ISBN 13: 9781789259018

Published by Oxbow Books, Oxford, 2023

Hardcover. Writing does not begin and end with the encoding of an idea into a group of symbols. It is practised by people who have learnt its principles and acquired the tools and skills for doing it, in a particular context that affects what they do and how they do it. The people, the inscribed objects and the implements and materials are all agents that affect and are affected by each act of writing as can be observed by studying not only the material features and contextual associations of surviving inscriptions, but also the development of the writing systems and their sets of features. With a focus on the syllabic systems of Bronze Age Greece, this book attempts to bring together different perspectives to create an innovative interdisciplinary outlook on what is involved in writing: from structuralist views of writing as systems of signs with their linguistic values, to archaeological and anthropological approaches to writing as a socially grounded practice. AUTHOR: Philippa M. Steele is the Director of the CREWS Project, a Senior Research Associate at the Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge, and a Senior Research Fellow of Magdalene College. She has previously been awarded a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Evans Pritchard Lectureship at All Souls College, Oxford, followed by a European Research Council grant to run the CREWS Project, and has published widely on ancient languages and writing systems with a particular focus on Cyprus and the Aegean. An innovative interdisciplinary outlook on writing practices in the Bronze Age Aegean - from structuralist views of writing as systems of signs with their linguistic values, to archaeological and anthropological approaches to writing as a socially grounded practice. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781789259018

Synopsis:

Writing does not begin and end with the encoding of an idea into a group of symbols. It is practised by people who have learnt its principles and acquired the tools and skills for doing it, in a particular context that affects what they do and how they do it. Nor are these practices static, as those involved exploit opportunities to adapt old features and develop new ones. The act of writing then has tangible and visible consequences not only for the writers but also for those encountering what has been produced, whether they can read its content or not – with potential for a wider social visibility that can in turn affect the success and longevity of the writing system itself. With a focus on the syllabic systems of the Bronze Age Aegean, this book attempts to bring together different perspectives to create an innovative interdisciplinary outlook on what is involved in writing: from structuralist views of writing as systems of signs with their linguistic values, to archaeological and anthropological approaches to writing as a socially grounded practice. The main chapters focus on the concepts of script adoption and adaptation; different methods of logographic writing; and the vitality of writing traditions, with repercussions for the modern world. Contexts of and Relations between Early Writing Systems (CREWS) is a project funded by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 677758), and based in the Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge.

About the Author: Philippa M. Steele is the Director of the CREWS Project, a Senior Research Associate at the Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge, and a Senior Research Fellow of Magdalene College. She has previously been awarded a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Evans Pritchard Lectureship at All Souls College, Oxford, followed by a European Research Council grant to run the CREWS Project, and has published widely on ancient languages and writing systems with a particular focus on Cyprus and the Aegean.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Exploring Writing Systems and Practices in ...
Publisher: Oxbow Books, Oxford
Publication Date: 2023
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: new