Overview

Beginning with the stories of three great decipherments - Egyptian hieroglyphs, Minoan Linear B and Mayan glyphs - Lost Languages moves on to dissect the most well-known and enigmatic undeciphered scripts from around the world. These include the Etruscan alphabet of Italy, the Indus Valley seal script, Rongorongo from remote Easter Island, the Zapotec script of Mexico (probably the first writing system in the Americas), and the unique Phaistos disc of Crete. Lost Languages reports from the front lines of scholarship where obsessions, genius, occasional delusion and sometimes bitter rivalry are de rigueur among those currently competing for the rare honour of cracking these ancient codes - and giving voice to forgotten worlds.

Full Product Details

Author:   Andrew Robinson
Publisher:   Thames & Hudson Ltd
Imprint:   Thames & Hudson Ltd
Dimensions:   Width: 18.70cm , Height: 3.30cm , Length: 23.20cm
Weight:   1.110kg
ISBN:  

9780500288160

ISBN 10:   050028816
Pages:   352
Publication Date:   16 February 2009
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
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Reviews

'If you hate unsolved mysteries this parade of incomprehensible texts will drive you nuts with frustration. But if you're a wannabe linguist, and perhaps the world's next Michael Ventris, you'll definitely want to read this book' - Focus 'Robinson's enthusiasm for the subject is so infectious that you might find youreself trying to crack Etruscan in your spare time' - Archaeology

A potent mix of academic esoterica, codecracking and controversy - the same giddy cocktail that made 'The Da Vinci Code' such a success, but with much greater scholarship.

Author Information

Andrew Robinson has written more than 25 books on the arts and sciences. They include Lost Languages: The Enigma of the World's Undeciphered Scripts, India: A Short History and Earthshock, which won the Association of Earth Science Editors Outstanding Publication Award, plus Earth-Shattering Events . A regular contributor to such magazines as Current World Archaeology, History Today, The Lancet, Nature and Science, he has also been literary editor of The Times Higher Education Supplement and a visiting fellow at the University of Cambridge.

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