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Awards
OverviewFull Product DetailsAuthor: Denise Schmandt-BesseratPublisher: University of Texas Press Imprint: University of Texas Press Edition: Abridged edition Dimensions: Width: 17.80cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 25.40cm Weight: 0.399kg ISBN: 9780292777040ISBN 10: 0292777043 Pages: 207 Publication Date: 01 February 1997 Audience: Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print  This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of ContentsPreface Introduction: Tokens, a New Theory The Myths The Pictographic Theory Tokens Part One: The Evidence 1. What Are Tokens? Types and Subtypes Evolution from Plain to Complex Materials Manufacture The Token Collection under Study 2. Where Tokens Were Handled and Who Used Them Types of Settlements Distribution within Settlements Structures Token Clusters Containers Holding Tokens Associated Assemblages Tokens as Funerary Offerings 3.Strings of Tokens and Envelopes Strings of Tokens Envelopes 4. Impressed Tablets Number Context Chronology Description The Signs Beyond the Impressed Tablets: Pictography The Meaning of Signs and Their Corresponding Tokens The Place of Impressed Tablets in the Evolution of Writing Part Two: The Interpretation 5. The Evolution of Symbols in Prehistory Symbols and Signs Lower and Middle Paleolithic Symbols Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic Symbols Neolithic Symbols A Turning Point in Communication and Data Storage 6. Tokens: The Socioeconomic Implications Reckoning Technology and Economy Reckoning Technology and Social Organization 7. Counting and the Emergence of Writing The Various Modes of Counting The Sumerian Philological Evidence The Near Eastern Archaeological Data 8. Conclusions: Tokens, Their Role in Prehistory and Their Contribution to Archaeology Economy Political Structure Mathematics Communication Part Three: The Artifacts Cones Spheres Disks Cylinders Tetrahedrons Ovoids Quadrangles Triangles Biconoids Paraboloids Bent Coils Ovals/Rhomboids Vessels Tools Animals Miscellaneous Notes Glossary IndexReviewsDiscoveries in the history of writing are rare, but Denise Schmandt-Besserat made one in realizing that phonetic writing in the West descends not from pictography, a view repeated everywhere, but from abstract, nonphonetic, mostly noniconographic accounting tokens used in Neolithic farming communities of the Near East beginning from about 8000 B.C. A condensation of volume I of <cite>Before Writing ...this book is a perfect production, utterly lucid, thoughtfully illustrated, and thoroughly convincing. American Journal of Archaeology Discoveries in the history of writing are rare, but Denise Schmandt-Besserat made one in realizing that phonetic writing in the West descends not from pictography, a view repeated everywhere, but from abstract, nonphonetic, mostly noniconographic accounting tokens used in Neolithic farming communities of the Near East beginning from about 8000 B.C. A condensation of volume I of Before Writing ...this book is a perfect production, utterly lucid, thoughtfully illustrated, and thoroughly convincing. Author InformationDenise Schmandt-Besserat is Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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