Homer and the Origin of the Greek Alphabet - Softcover

Powell, Barry B.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 052158907X ISBN 13: 9780521589079

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1996

Synopsis

What caused the invention of the Greek alphabet? Who did it, and why? The purpose of this challenging book is to inquire systematically into the historical causes that underlay the radical shift from earlier and less efficient writing systems to the use of alphabetic writing. The author declares his conclusion to be a possibly surprising one--that a single man, perhaps from the island of Euboea, invented the Greek alphabet specifically in order to record the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

The purpose of this challenging book is to inquire systematically into the historical causes that underlay the radical shift from earlier and less efficient writing-systems to the use of alphabetic writing. The author declares his conclusion to be a possibly surprising one - that a single man, perhaps from the island of Euboea, invented the Greek alphabet specifically in order to record the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer.

About the Author:

Barry B. Powell is Halls-Bascom Professor of Classics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His previous publications include "Homer and the Origin of the Greek Alphabet "(1991), "A Short Introduction to Classical Myth" (2001), "Writing and the Origins of Greek Literature" (2002), "Classical Myth" (fourth edition, 2004), and "The Greeks: History, Culture, and Society" (with Ian Morris, 2005).

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 052158907X
• ISBN 13: 9780521589079
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 308