HIS 64 — History of Writing: From Pictograph to Hieroglyph to Alphabet
Spring
Wednesdays
7:00—8:50 pm
Date(s)
Apr 6—Jun 1
10 weeks
Drop By
Apr 19
2 Units
Fees
$405
Format
On-campus course
Open
How and when did humans learn to communicate
abstractly by visual symbols beyond verbal
language? When can we find the earliest evidence for
data encoded in some form of alphanumeric fashion?
Did the so-called “Neolithic Revolution,” with technological
advances, early agriculture, and sedentary
lifestyle and population growth lead to the innovation
of writing systems?
In this course, we will explore the history of writing from prehistory on, as writing and language developed to accommodate trade and the exchange of ideas within and between cultures. We will look at such questions as: What does prehistory tells us about the history of writing? How closely related are Mediterranean alphabets around 800 bce? And how did expanding land and sea transportation propel the development of languages in new directions? We will also explore ancient systems such as Egyptian hieroglyphs; Mesopotamian cuneiform; Ugaritic-Phoenician-Hebrew relatives; classical Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Latin; and Runic writing. Finally, we will also highlight principles of language evolution, as well as exciting moments in the history of decoding ancient languages, including the discovery and deciphering of the Rosetta Stone, the Behistun Inscription, and tablets from the Royal Assyrian library at Nineveh.
In this course, we will explore the history of writing from prehistory on, as writing and language developed to accommodate trade and the exchange of ideas within and between cultures. We will look at such questions as: What does prehistory tells us about the history of writing? How closely related are Mediterranean alphabets around 800 bce? And how did expanding land and sea transportation propel the development of languages in new directions? We will also explore ancient systems such as Egyptian hieroglyphs; Mesopotamian cuneiform; Ugaritic-Phoenician-Hebrew relatives; classical Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Latin; and Runic writing. Finally, we will also highlight principles of language evolution, as well as exciting moments in the history of decoding ancient languages, including the discovery and deciphering of the Rosetta Stone, the Behistun Inscription, and tablets from the Royal Assyrian library at Nineveh.
This course includes a class visit to either the Cantor Arts Center or the Green Library Special Collections. Details will be provided on the first night of class.
Patrick Hunt, Former Director, Stanford Alpine Archaeology Project; Research Associate in Archeoethnobotany, Institute for EthnoMedicine
Patrick Hunt is the author of seventeen books, including Ten Discoveries That Rewrote History and A Few Hundred Thoughts. He received a PhD from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London.Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Robinson, The Story of Writing: Alphabets, Hieroglyphs and Pictograms, 2nd Edition (ISBN 9780500286609)