Synopses & Reviews
This work offers the most up-to-date treatment of the origins of ancient writing.
Synopsis
Ancient writing gives us our first glimpse of history, people and institutions, and yet its origins remain mysterious. The First Writing presents a cutting-edge examination of the origins and practice of ancient writing systems. Leading scholars in the field explore the development of early scripts, some well known and some that have been largely neglected in the literature, including those of early Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Maya, Shang China, Proto-Elamite culture and the Runic systems of Scandanavia.
Synopsis
Leading scholars in the field discuss and analyse of the origins of ancient writing.
About the Author
Stephen Houston is Jesse Knight University Professor, Department of Anthropology, Brigham Young University. He has written extensively on anthropology and was co-editor of Royal Courts of the Ancient Maya Volumes 1, 2 (Westview Press, 2001). He is a recipient of fellowships from, among others, the School of American Research and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.