Details
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.
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.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. – The Social Archaeology of Writing
Chapter 2. – Ugarit. The Site, its Material Culture and the History of Research
Chapter 3. – Writing in the Bronze Age Levant
Chapter 4. – Cuneiform and Linear Alphabets
Chapter 5. – Influence and Innovation in Ugaritian Writing Practices
Chapter 6. – Social Change in Late Bronze Age Ugarit
Chapter 7. – Literacy
Chapter 8. – Minority Scripts and Minority Communities
Chapter 9. – Writing System and Identity in Ugarit.
Chapter 2. – Ugarit. The Site, its Material Culture and the History of Research
Chapter 3. – Writing in the Bronze Age Levant
Chapter 4. – Cuneiform and Linear Alphabets
Chapter 5. – Influence and Innovation in Ugaritian Writing Practices
Chapter 6. – Social Change in Late Bronze Age Ugarit
Chapter 7. – Literacy
Chapter 8. – Minority Scripts and Minority Communities
Chapter 9. – Writing System and Identity in Ugarit.
