Synopses & Reviews
With
Ancestor of the West, three distinguished French historians reveal the story of the birth of writing and reason, demonstrating how the logical religious structures of Near Eastern and Mesopotamian cultures served as precursors to those of the West.
"Full of matter for anyone interested in language, religion, and politics in the ancient world."and#8212;R. T. Ridley, Journal of Religious History
"In this accessible introduction to the ancient world, three leading French scholars explore the emergence of rationality and writing in the West, tracing its development and its survival in our own traditions. . . . Jean Bottero focuses on writing and religion in ancient Mesopotamia, Clarisse Herrenschmidt considers a broader history of ancient writing, and Jean-Pierre Vernant examines classical Greek civilization in the context of Near Eastern history."and#8212;Translation Review
Synopsis
"Full of matter for anyone interested in language, religion, and politics in the ancient world."and#8212;R. T. Ridley,
Journal of ReligionWith this book, three distinguished French historians tell the story of the birth of writing and reason, explaining how the logical and religious structures of Near Eastern and Mesopotamian cultures served as precursors to those of the West.
About the Author
Teresa Lavender Fagan is a freelance translator living in Chicago; she has translated numerous books for the University of Chicago Press and other publishers.Jean-Pierre Vernant (1914-2007) was a French classicist and anthropologist, specializing in ancient Greece. He is the author or coauthor of many books, including The Origins of Greek Thought and Myth and Tragedy in Ancient Greece.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Franandccedil;ois Zabbal
Translator's Note
PART ONE: RELIGION AND REASONING IN MESOPOTAMIA
Jean Bottandeacute;ro
1. The Birth of Civilization
2. First Writing
3. The Intelligence of the World
4. The Gods: A Reasonable Religion
PART TWO: WRITING BETWEEN VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WORLDS IN IRAN, ISRAEL, AND GREECE
Clarisse Herrenschmidt
5. Elamite Civilization and Writing
6. Consonant Alphabets, the Greek Alphabet, and Old Persian Cuneiform
7. Old Persian Cuneiform: Writing as Cosmological Ritual and Text
Writingand#8212;and Some Thoughts on Hebrew and Greek
PART THREE: WRITING AND CIVIL RELIGION IN GREECE
Jean-Pierre Vernant
9. Myths and Reasonings
10. The Polis: Shared Power
Notes
Bibliography
Index