The Origins of the West Semitic Alphabet in Egyptian Scripts

The Origins of the West Semitic Alphabet in Egyptian Scripts PDF Author: Gordon J. Hamilton
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1666787000
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 465

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Book Description
A useful work for all interested in the history of the alphabet. Hamilton shows a direct correspondence between the West Semitic alphabet and its proposed Egyptian counterparts. Following an examination of the various Egyptian prototypes, each grapheme of the various "Canaanite" scripts is shown and described in exhaustive detail in terms of feature and stance. Subsequently, each individual unit is augmented with a survey of the development of the names of letters and their vocalization, with the author pointing to acrophony, rhyming, and "clipping" as factors in their nomenclature. Hamilton also provides summary charts of the ancient Egyptian models and West Semitic derivatives.

The Origins of the West Semitic Alphabet in Egyptian Scripts

The Origins of the West Semitic Alphabet in Egyptian Scripts PDF Author: Gordon J. Hamilton
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1666787000
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 465

Get Book Here

Book Description
A useful work for all interested in the history of the alphabet. Hamilton shows a direct correspondence between the West Semitic alphabet and its proposed Egyptian counterparts. Following an examination of the various Egyptian prototypes, each grapheme of the various "Canaanite" scripts is shown and described in exhaustive detail in terms of feature and stance. Subsequently, each individual unit is augmented with a survey of the development of the names of letters and their vocalization, with the author pointing to acrophony, rhyming, and "clipping" as factors in their nomenclature. Hamilton also provides summary charts of the ancient Egyptian models and West Semitic derivatives.

Inventing the Alphabet

Inventing the Alphabet PDF Author: Johanna Drucker
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226815803
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 387

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Book Description
The first comprehensive intellectual history of alphabet studies. Inventing the Alphabet provides the first account of two-and-a-half millennia of scholarship on the alphabet. Drawing on decades of research, Johanna Drucker dives into sometimes obscure and esoteric references, dispelling myths and identifying a pantheon of little-known scholars who contributed to our modern understandings of the alphabet, one of the most important inventions in human history. Beginning with Biblical tales and accounts from antiquity, Drucker traces the transmission of ancient Greek thinking about the alphabet’s origin and debates about how Moses learned to read. The book moves through the centuries, finishing with contemporary concepts of the letters in alpha-numeric code used for global communication systems. Along the way, we learn about magical and angelic alphabets, antique inscriptions on coins and artifacts, and the comparative tables of scripts that continue through the development of modern fields of archaeology and paleography. This is the first book to chronicle the story of the intellectual history through which the alphabet has been “invented” as an object of scholarship.

A Companion to Ancient Near Eastern Languages

A Companion to Ancient Near Eastern Languages PDF Author: Rebecca Hasselbach-Andee
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119193893
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 563

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Book Description
Covers the major languages, language families, and writing systems attested in the Ancient Near East Filled with enlightening chapters by noted experts in the field, this book introduces Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) languages and language families used during the time period of roughly 3200 BCE to the second century CE in the areas of Egypt, the Levant, eastern Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Iran. In addition to providing grammatical sketches of the respective languages, the book focuses on socio-linguistic questions such as language contact, diglossia, the development of literary standard languages, and the development of diplomatic languages or “linguae francae.” It also addresses the interaction of Ancient Near Eastern languages with each other and their roles within the political and cultural systems of ANE societies. Presented in five parts, The Companion to Ancient Near Eastern Languages provides readers with in-depth chapter coverage of the writing systems of ANE, starting with their decipherment. It looks at the emergence of cuneiform writing; the development of Egyptian writing in the fourth and early third millennium BCI; and the emergence of alphabetic scripts. The book also covers many of the individual languages themselves, including Sumerian, Egyptian, Akkadian, Hittite, Pre- and Post-Exilic Hebrew, Phoenician, Ancient South Arabian, and more. Provides an overview of all major language families and writing systems used in the Ancient Near East during the time period from the beginning of writing (approximately 3200 BCE) to the second century CE (end of cuneiform writing) Addresses how the individual languages interacted with each other and how they functioned in the societies that used them Written by leading experts on the languages and topics The Companion to Ancient Near Eastern Languages is an ideal book for undergraduate students and scholars interested in Ancient Near Eastern cultures and languages or certain aspects of these languages.

Script and Society

Script and Society PDF Author: Philip J. Boyes
Publisher: Oxbow Books
ISBN: 1789255864
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
By the 13th century BC, the Syrian city of Ugarit hosted an extremely diverse range of writing practices. As well as two main scripts – alphabetic and logographic cuneiform - the site has also produced inscriptions in a wide range of scripts and languages, including Hurrian, Sumerian, Hittite, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Luwian hieroglyphs and Cypro-Minoan. This variety in script and language is accompanied by writing practices that blend influences from Mesopotamian, Anatolian and Levantine traditions together with what seem to be distinctive local innovations. Script and Society: The Social Context of Writing Practices in Late Bronze Age Ugarit explores the social and cultural context of these complex writing traditions from the perspective of writing as a social practice. It combines archaeology, epigraphy, history and anthropology to present a highly interdisciplinary exploration of social questions relating to writing at the site, including matters of gender, ethnicity, status and other forms of identity, the relationship between writing and place, and the complex relationships between inscribed and uninscribed objects. This forms a case- study for a wider discussion of interdisciplinary approaches to the study of writing practices in the ancient world.

The Literature of the Jewish People in the Period of the Second Temple and the Talmud, Volume 1 Mikra

The Literature of the Jewish People in the Period of the Second Temple and the Talmud, Volume 1 Mikra PDF Author: Martin-Jan Mulder
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 900427510X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 961

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Book Description
Series: Compendia Rerum Iudaicarum ad Novum Testamentum Section 1 - The Jewish people in the first century Historial geography, political history, social, cultural and religious life and institutions Edited by S. Safrai and M. Stern in cooperation with D. Flusser and W.C. van Unnik Section 2 - The Literature of the Jewish People in the Period of the Second Temple and the Talmud Section 3 - Jewish Traditions in Early Christian Literature

History of Writing

History of Writing PDF Author: Steven R. Fischer
Publisher: Reaktion Books
ISBN: 9781861891679
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
We learn about it from our parents and teachers, we get better at it as we grow up, and in adult life we do it without a thought - writing.

Writing Systems

Writing Systems PDF Author: Florian Coulmas
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521787376
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
During its long history the problem of reducing language to writing, and conversely that of interpreting written signs as language, has found a variety of solutions which still exist in the form of different writing systems. Written by a leading expert, this new textbook provides an accessible introduction to the major writing systems of the world, from cuneiform to English spelling. Florian Coulmas presents detailed descriptions of the world's writing systems and explains their structural complexities as well as the intricate relationship between written and spoken language. The book also provides a clear and engaging account of the history of writing and its consequences for human thought and literate society. This illustrated textbook includes questions for discussion at the end of each chapter, and an up-to-date explanation of theoretical issues. Clearly organised and engagingly written, it is the ideal textbook for use on courses on writing systems.

The Phoenicians

The Phoenicians PDF Author: Vadim S. Jigoulov
Publisher: Reaktion Books
ISBN: 1789144795
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
Drawing on an impressive range of archaeological and textual sources and a nuanced understanding of biases, this book offers a valuable reappraisal of the enigmatic Phoenicians. The Phoenicians is a fascinating exploration of this much-mythologized people: their history, artistic heritage, and the scope of their maritime and colonizing activities in the Mediterranean. Two aspects of the book stand out from other studies of Phoenician history: the source-focused approach and the attention paid to the various ways that biases—ancient and modern—have contributed to widespread misconceptions about who the Phoenicians really were. The book describes and analyzes various artifacts (epigraphic, numismatic, and material remains) and considers how historians have derived information about a people with little surviving literature. This analysis includes a critical look at the primary texts (classical, Near Eastern, and biblical), the relationship between the Phoenician and Punic worlds; Phoenician interaction with the Greeks and others; and the repurposing of Phoenician heritage in modernity. Detailed and engrossing, The Phoenicians casts new light on this most enigmatic of civilizations.

Understanding Relations Between Scripts

Understanding Relations Between Scripts PDF Author: Philippa Steele
Publisher: Oxbow Books
ISBN: 1785706470
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
Understanding Relations Between Scripts examines the writing systems of the ancient Aegean and Cyprus in the second and first millennia BC, principally Cretan ‘Hieroglyphic’, Linear A, Linear B, Cypro-Minoan and the Cypriot Syllabary. These scripts, of which some are deciphered and others are not, are known to be related to each other. However, the details of their relationships with each other have remained poorly understood and this will be the first volume dedicated solely to this issue. Nine papers aim to reach a better appreciation of relationships between writing systems than has been possible in previous research, through an interdisciplinary dialogue that takes account of both features of the writing systems and the contextual factors affecting the way in which writing was passed on. Each individual contribution furthers this aim by presenting the latest research on the Aegean scripts, demonstrating the great advances in our understanding of script relations that are possible through such detailed and innovative studies.

The Ancient Israelite World

The Ancient Israelite World PDF Author: Kyle H. Keimer
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000773248
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 823

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Book Description
This volume presents a collection of studies by international experts on various aspects of ancient Israel’s society, economy, religion, language, culture, and history, synthesizing archaeological remains and integrating them with discussions of ancient Near Eastern and biblical texts. Driven by theoretically and methodologically informed discussions of the archaeology of the Iron Age Levant, the 47 chapters in The Ancient Israelite World provide foundational, accessible, and detailed studies in their respective topics. The volume considers the history of interpretation of ancient Israel, studies on various aspects of ancient Israel’s society and history, and avenues for present and future approaches to the ancient Israelite world. Accompanied by over 150 maps and figures, it allows the reader to gain an understanding of key issues that archaeologists, historians and biblical scholars have faced and are currently facing as they attempt to better understand ancient Israelite society. The Ancient Israelite World is an essential reference work for students and scholars of ancient Israel and its history, culture, and society, whether they are historians, archaeologists or biblical scholars.