Cadmean Letters: The Transmission of the Alphabet to the Aegean and Further West Before 1400 B.C. Contributor(s): Bernal, Martin (Author) |
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ISBN: 0931464471 ISBN-13: 9780931464478 Publisher: Eisenbrauns OUR PRICE: $45.49 Product Type: Hardcover Published: June 1990 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Language Arts & Disciplines | Alphabets & Writing Systems - History | Ancient - General |
Dewey: 411 |
LCCN: 90-2977 |
Series: Neuen Testament; 49 |
Physical Information: 176 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - Ancient (To 499 A.D.) |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Western civilization has long sought its cultural roots in the classical civilizations of the Aegean. During the twentieth century, however, it has been made increasingly clear that it owes a great debt to the civilizations of the Fertile Crescent. In the thick of the debate as to how much classical civilizations were influenced by the Levant has been the question of the date of the transmission of the alphabet. In this monograph, Bernal takes up the question anew and marshals persuasive arguments that the date of transmission of the alphabet should be moved considerably earlier than generally has been thought, to the middle of the second millennium B.C. Growing out of his work on Black Athena, the intricate matters of alphabetic history and transmission are dealt with, both in terms of the history of the investigation of the topic and also with regard to the specific working out of his own new proposal. |