Awards

• Winner of Top 100 Books on Science, American Scientist 2001 (United States)

Overview

Winner, Top 100 Books on Science, American Scientist, 2001 In 1992, the University of Texas Press published Before Writing, Volume I: From Counting to Cuneiform and Before Writing, Volume II: A Catalog of Near Eastern Tokens. In these two volumes, Denise Schmandt-Besserat set forth her groundbreaking theory that the cuneiform script invented in the Near East in the late fourth millennium B.C.-the world's oldest known system of writing-derived from an archaic counting device. How Writing Came About draws material from both volumes to present Schmandt-Besserat's theory for a wide public and classroom audience. Based on the analysis and interpretation of a selection of 8,000 tokens or counters from 116 sites in Iran, Iraq, the Levant, and Turkey, it documents the immediate precursor of the cuneiform script.

Full Product Details

Author:   Denise Schmandt-Besserat
Publisher:   University of Texas Press
Imprint:   University of Texas Press
Edition:   Abridged edition
Dimensions:   Width: 17.80cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   0.399kg
ISBN:  

9780292777040

ISBN 10:   0292777043
Pages:   207
Publication Date:   01 February 1997
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Preface Introduction: Tokens, a New Theory The Myths The Pictographic Theory Tokens Part One: The Evidence 1. What Are Tokens? Types and Subtypes Evolution from Plain to Complex Materials Manufacture The Token Collection under Study 2. Where Tokens Were Handled and Who Used Them Types of Settlements Distribution within Settlements Structures Token Clusters Containers Holding Tokens Associated Assemblages Tokens as Funerary Offerings 3.Strings of Tokens and Envelopes Strings of Tokens Envelopes 4. Impressed Tablets Number Context Chronology Description The Signs Beyond the Impressed Tablets: Pictography The Meaning of Signs and Their Corresponding Tokens The Place of Impressed Tablets in the Evolution of Writing Part Two: The Interpretation 5. The Evolution of Symbols in Prehistory Symbols and Signs Lower and Middle Paleolithic Symbols Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic Symbols Neolithic Symbols A Turning Point in Communication and Data Storage 6. Tokens: The Socioeconomic Implications Reckoning Technology and Economy Reckoning Technology and Social Organization 7. Counting and the Emergence of Writing The Various Modes of Counting The Sumerian Philological Evidence The Near Eastern Archaeological Data 8. Conclusions: Tokens, Their Role in Prehistory and Their Contribution to Archaeology Economy Political Structure Mathematics Communication Part Three: The Artifacts Cones Spheres Disks Cylinders Tetrahedrons Ovoids Quadrangles Triangles Biconoids Paraboloids Bent Coils Ovals/Rhomboids Vessels Tools Animals Miscellaneous Notes Glossary Index

Reviews

Discoveries in the history of writing are rare, but Denise Schmandt-Besserat made one in realizing that phonetic writing in the West descends not from pictography, a view repeated everywhere, but from abstract, nonphonetic, mostly noniconographic accounting tokens used in Neolithic farming communities of the Near East beginning from about 8000 B.C. A condensation of volume I of <cite>Before Writing ...this book is a perfect production, utterly lucid, thoughtfully illustrated, and thoroughly convincing. American Journal of Archaeology

Discoveries in the history of writing are rare, but Denise Schmandt-Besserat made one in realizing that phonetic writing in the West descends not from pictography, a view repeated everywhere, but from abstract, nonphonetic, mostly noniconographic accounting tokens used in Neolithic farming communities of the Near East beginning from about 8000 B.C. A condensation of volume I of Before Writing ...this book is a perfect production, utterly lucid, thoughtfully illustrated, and thoroughly convincing.

Author Information

Denise Schmandt-Besserat is Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions