The origins of writing, and its relation to art on Bronze Age Crete
This thesis sheds first light on the complex narrative behind the earliest appearance of writing in Europe. A radical new framework of interpretation, recognising art and writing as different ends of a single mode of graphic expression, is applied to the material culture of Early to Middle Bronze Age Crete as a context-conscious alternative to the strict and anachronistic divisions imposed by traditional models. This allows for a novel way of viewing and identifying structures of meaning embedded in otherwise familiar evidence. A comprehensive synthesis of the archaeological evidence for the undeciphered Bronze Age Cretan writing systems is offered, contextualising the thesis and its arguments within a new narrative of mostly autonomous script formation on Crete. Detailed analysis of the material record is started in the Early Bronze Age, where a previously unrecognised system of Prepalatial glyptic iconography is demonstrated to have maintained uniform distribution and presentation for roughly eight centuries, appearing in the exact contexts, and ostensibly fulfilling similar functions, as later writing. This newly identified system is argued to have provided the conceptual background against which later
Decorte, Roeland Pieter-Jan Ewoud
Origins of Writing ; Classics ; Archaeology ; Aegean ; Bronze Age ; Proto-writing ; Minoan ; Crete ; Archanes Script ; Cretan Hieroglyphic ; Linear A ; Epigraphy ; Undeciphered Scripts ; Glyptic ; Earliest European Writing
The origins of writing, and its relation to art on Bronze Age Crete. This thesis sheds first light on the complex narrative behind the earliest appearance of writing in Europe. A radical new framework of interpretation, recognising art and writing as different ends of a single mode of graphic expression, is applied to the material culture of Early to Middle Bronze Age Crete as a context-conscious alternative to the strict and anachronistic divisions imposed by traditional models. This allows for a novel way of viewing and identifying structures of meaning embedded in otherwise familiar evidence. A comprehensive synthesis of the archaeological evidence for the undeciphered Bronze Age Cretan writing systems is offered, contextualising the thesis and its arguments within a new narrative of mostly autonomous script formation on Crete. Detailed analysis of the material record is started in the Early Bronze Age, where a previously unrecognised system of Prepalatial glyptic iconography is demonstrated to have maintained uniform distribution and presentation for roughly eight centuries, appearing in the exact contexts, and ostensibly fulfilling similar functions, as later writing. This newly identified system is argued to have provided the conceptual background against which later
origin write relation art bronze_age_crete shed first light complex narrative behind early appearance write europe radical new framework interpretation recognise art write different end single mode graphic expression apply material_culture early_middle bronze_age_crete context conscious alternative strict anachronistic division impose traditional_model allows novel_way view identify structure mean embed otherwise familiar evidence comprehensive synthesis archaeological_evidence bronze_age cretan write_system offer contextualising argument within new narrative mostly autonomous script formation crete detailed_analysis material_record start early_bronze_age previously unrecognised system glyptic iconography demonstrate uniform distribution presentation appear exact context ostensibly fulfil similar function later write newly identify system argue provide conceptual background later