The Ancient World Revisited: Material Dimensions of Written Artefacts

book: The Ancient World Revisited: Material Dimensions of Written Artefacts

Open Access Published by De Gruyter 2024

The Ancient World Revisited: Material Dimensions of Written Artefacts

Edited by: Marilina Betrò , Michael Friedrich and Cécile Michel
In collaboration with: Jesper Eidem and Gianluca Miniaci

Volume 37 in the series Studies in Manuscript Cultures

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111360805

Overview
Contents

About this book

Open Access

Written artefacts are traditionally studied because of their content. Material aspects of these artefacts enrich the study of ancient history in many ways. Eleven case studies in five sections on the ancient world, including the Near East, Egypt, the Mediterranean, China and India, demonstrate the impact of a holistic approach that considers materiality and content alike.
Following an introductory sketch of relevant research, the first section, ‘Methodological Considerations’, critically examines the limitations the evidence available imposes on our understanding. ‘Early Uses of Writing’ addresses material and spatial aspects of inscriptions, and their communicative functions over the textual ones. The third section, ‘Material Features’, deals with clay, wooden and papyrus manuscripts and demonstrates the importance of an integrated approach. The contributions to ‘Co-presence of Written Artefacts’ take into account that written artefacts come in clusters. The final section, ‘Cultural Encounters’, presents studies on the interactions between social strata and ethnic groups, challenging previous ideas.
The volume contributes to the comparative study of written artefacts in ancient history, stimulating cross-disciplinary and -cultural research.

Author / Editor information

Marilina Betrò, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Michael Friedrich, CSMC, University of Hamburg; Cécile Michel, CNRS ArScAn-HAROC, Nanterre, France und CSMC, University of Hamburg.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	V
Introduction: Towards a Holistic Study of Written Artefacts in Ancient History Michael Friedrich Open Access Download PDF	1
Methodological Considerations
Some Mesopotamian Challenges: A History Based on Tablets Unevenly Distributed in Time and Space Jesper Eidem and Cécile Michel Open Access Download PDF	31
Epigraphy, Archaeology, and our Understanding of the Mycenaean World Jorrit Kelder Open Access Download PDF	49
Early Uses of Writing
Material, Spatial, and Social Contexts of Early Writing: Egypt and China John Baines and Cao Dazhi Open Access Download PDF	71
Aśoka and the Use of Writing in Ancient India Ingo Strauch Open Access Download PDF	129
Material Features
Writing on Wood in Hittite Anatolia Michele Cammarosano and Michele Cammarosano Open Access Download PDF	165
The Mittanian Cuneiform Documents: The Interplay between Content, Language, Material, Format, and Sealing Practices Stefano de Martino Open Access Download PDF	207
Some Turin Papyri Revisited: A Look at Material Features and Scribal Practices Susanne Töpfer Open Access Download PDF	221
Co-presence of Written Artefacts
Experiencing Inscriptions in Space: Extended Inscriptions of the Early New Kingdom (Qenamun – Useramun – Rekhmire) Andréas Stauder Open Access Download PDF	243
The Scholar in His House: Scribal Material in Context in Late Uruk Private Houses Philippe Clancier Open Access Download PDF	281
Cultural Encounters
Bakhtin, Gramsci, and the Materiality of the Egyptian Hieroglyphs: When the ‘Official’ Culture Leaks into the ‘Folk’ Domain Gianluca Miniaci Open Access Download PDF	307
The ‘He’ Tribe from Serabit el Khadim and the Invention of Alphabetic Writing: Can the Subaltern … Write? Ludwig D. Morenz Open Access Download PDF	345
Contributors Open Access Download PDF	369
General Index Open Access Download PDF	371

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: Scholars of ancient history, art history, Assyriology, Egyptology, epigraphy, Indology, manuscriptology and sinology
Pages
- Front matter: 6
- Main content: 379
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 55
- Coloured Illustrations: 56
- Tables: 5
Keywords: Inscription; manuscript; text-image relations; written artefacts

eBook

Published: March 4, 2024
ISBN: 9783111360805

Hardcover

Published: March 4, 2024
ISBN: 9783111359021