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THE BEGINNINGS OF WRITING ON CRETE: THEORY AND CONTEXT

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2015

Silvia Ferrara
Silvia Ferrara*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology and Classics, Sapienza University of Rome
*
silvia.ferrara@uniroma1.it
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Abstract

This article examines the inception of writing on Crete in the second millennium bc from a fresh methodological perspective. It aims to develop a synoptic understanding of the origin, purpose, experience, and significance of the earliest attestations of writing on the island, to investigate the context of its creation, and to explore the cultural triggers that underlie the application of writing in the context of Middle Minoan Crete. Three key points are considered: the problematic definition of early writing on Crete, the possible identification of the subject matter of the Cretan hieroglyphic inscriptions on sealstones, and the script's level of indebtedness to pre-existing models. These paths of investigation are also crucial points of departure for understanding the phenomenon of early writing in more general terms, from a multidisciplinary perspective that seeks to advocate a synergic collaboration between anthropology, archaeology, epigraphy and sociolinguistics.

Η αρχή του συστήματος γραφής στην Κρήτη: θεωρία και πολιτισμικά συμφραζόμενα

Το παρόν επιστημονικό άρθρο εξετάζει υπό νέα μεθοδολογική προσέγγιση την αρχή του συστήματος γραφής στην Κρήτη κατά τη διάρκεια της δεύτερης χιλιετίας π.Χ. Επιπλέον, αποσκοπεί στο να αναπτύξει ένα ευσύνοπτο μοντέλο κατανόησης της προέλευσης, του σκοπού, της εμπειρίας και της σπουδαιότητας των πρωιμότερων μαρτυριών περί συστήματος γραφής στη νήσο, να διερευνήσει τα πολιτισμικά συμφραζόμενα της διαμόρφωσής του, και να εξετάσει τα πολιτισμικά αίτια που υπόκεινται της εφαρμογής του συστήματος γραφής στον γεωγραφικό χώρο και το πολιτισμικό πλαίσιο της Μέσης Μινωικής Κρήτης. Τρεις σημαντικές επισημάνσεις συνιστούν αντικείμενο πραγμάτευσης: ο προβληματικός ορισμός του πρώιμου συστήματος γραφής στην Κρήτη, η πιθανή ταύτιση υλικού των Κρητικών ιερογλυφικών επιγραφών με υλικό που αποτυπώνεται σε ενεπίγραφους σφραγιδόλιθους και ο βαθμός οφειλής του γραφέα σε προϋπάρχοντα πρότυπα. Οι εν λόγω ερευνητικές επισημάνσεις συνιστούν επίσης κρίσιμα σημεία αφετηρίας για την εκ μέρους μας κατανόηση του φαινομένου του πρώιμου συστήματος γραφής σε γενικές γραμμές, μέσω διεπιστημονικής προσέγγισης, που εισηγείται τη συνέργεια ανθρωπολογίας, αρχαιολογίας, επιγραφικής και κοινωνιογλωσσολογίας.

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Articles
Information
Annual of the British School at Athens , Volume 110 , November 2015 , pp. 27 - 49
Copyright
Copyright © The Council, British School at Athens 2015 

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