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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
This contribution aims at reassessing the emergence of writing in Europe by investigating the process leading to standardizing a set of visual symbols into a system of script signs. The earliest traces of writing in Europe are to be found on the island of Crete and date back to the end of the Early Bronze Age (2200-2100 BCE ca.). They are represented by a sequence of 5 signs engraved on stone and bone seals, known as the ‘Archanes formula’. This formula likely points to an ongoing formation of the script graphic inventory, which, starting from the central period of the Middle Bronze Age (1800-1700 BCE ca.), features on two still undeciphered writing systems, i.e. the Cretan Hieroglyphic and the Linear A. Although sharing more than one half of the signs, these two scripts exhibit significant differences which point to divergent development paths.
Here, I address the way in which the Hieroglyphic template took shape and which actors could have been involved into this process. To do this, I searched for possible forerunners of Hieroglyphic signs among the earlier iconography, namely that spanning from the beginning of the Early Bronze Age to the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age (3100-1900 BCE ca.). It has been recently demonstrated that the Cretan Hieroglyphic did not (completely) stem from the adaptation of a foreign inventory (Ferrara, Montecchi & Valério 2021). Accordingly, they should have chiefly build upon a local iconographic tradition. Not coincidentally, the glyptic, unlike other more ‘conservative’ mediums like pottery and jewelry, serves as the primary repository for these images, showcasing frequent innovations in both stylistic and iconographic aspects. The results of my scrutiny can be summarized as follows:
1) The core signary of Cretan Hieroglyphic is already at home in the earlier iconographic tradition. Almost all the signs for which a syllabographic value can be posited show a clear connection with symbols attested on seals dating to the Early Bronze Age. Exceptions can be clarified by attributing them to either the adoption of iconography originating from another local source or, in very rare instances, by not entirely dismissing the possibility of influence from overseas.
2) One can identify a precise glyptic style (i.e., likely, a community of seal owners), consistently characterized by its own seal shapes, materials, and syntactic criteria, which is responsible for the inception of writing between the Early Bronze Age II and the Early Bronze Age III. The demonstration of this is threefold. First, this tradition attests the absolute majority (59%) of forerunners of Hieroglyphic signs for the first time. Second, the stylistic criteria in vogue in this tradition find correspondences during the Middle Bronze Age II, coinciding with the emergence of Cretan Hieroglyphic, while the other earlier glyptic traditions were abandoned. Third, seals bearing the ‘Archanes formula’ are all akin to this tradition.
Bibliography:
Evans, Sir Arthur. 1901. Scripta Minoa. Oxford.
Decorte, Roeland P.J.-E. 2018. The Origins of Bronze Age Aegean Writing: Linear A, Cretan Hieroglyphic and a New Proposed Pathway of Script Formation. In: Ferrara, S. / Valério, M. (eds.), Paths into Script Formation in the Ancient Mediterranean (= SMEA Suppl. 1). Rome, 13-49.
Ferrara, Silvia / Montecchi, Barbara / Valério Miguel F.G. 2021. The Making of a Script: Cretan Hieroglyphic and the Quest for its Origins’. BASOR 386: 1-22.
Santamaria, Andrea. 2023. From Images to Signs: Cretan Hieroglyphic and Linear A in Context. PhD dissertation, University of Bologna
Sbonias, Kostas. 2012. Regional elite-groups and the production and consumption of seals in the Prepalatial period: a case-study of the Asterousia region. In: Schoep, I. / Tomkins, P. / Driessen, J. (eds), Back to the Beginning: Reassessing Social and Political Complexity on Crete during the Early and Middle Bronze Age. Oxford, 236-372.
Schoep, Ilse. 2020. The Development of Writing on Crete in EM III-MM IIB (ca 2200-1750/00 B.C.). In: Davis, B. / Laffineur, R. (eds.), Νεώτερος: Studies in Bronze Age Aegean Art and Archaeology in Honor of Professor John G. Younger on the Occasion of His Retirement (= Aegaeum 44). Leuven-Liège, 43-53.
Information on participating / attending:
Date:
02/13/2024 10:00 - 02/13/2024 12:00
Event venue:
Leibnizstr. 3, R. 123
24118 Kiel
Schleswig-Holstein
Germany
Target group:
Scientists and scholars, all interested persons
Relevance:
regional
Subject areas:
Cultural sciences, Environment / ecology, Geosciences, History / archaeology
Types of events:
Presentation / colloquium / lecture
Entry:
11/28/2023
Sender/author:
Jan Steffen
Department:
Media and Public Outreach
Event is free:
yes
Language of the text:
English
URL of this event: http://idw-online.de/en/event75799
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