Professor Powell ties the origin and nature of archaic Greek literature to the special technology of Greek alphabetic writing. In building his model he presents chapters on specialized topics - text, orality, myth, literacy, tradition and memorization - and then shows how such special topics relate to larger issues of cultural transmission from East to West. Several chapters are devoted to the theory and history of writing, its definition and general nature as well as such individual developments as semasiography and logosyllabography, Chinese writing and the West Semitic family of syllabaries. He shows how the Greek alphabet put an end to the multiliteralism of Eastern traditions of writing, and how the recording of Homer and other early epic poetry cannot be separated from the alphabetic revolution. Finally, he explains how the creation of Greek alphabetic texts demoticized Greek myth and encouraged many free creations of new myths based on Eastern images.

Examines the contribution of the alphabetic revolution to the genesis of archaic Greek literature.

About the Author
Barry B. Powell is Halls-Bascom Professor of Classics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His books include Homer and the Origin of the Greek Alphabet (1991 HB 0521371570; 1996 PB 052158907X).

Reviews
' ... a powerful and original book ...' Ancient West & East



Book Information
ISBN 9780521036313
Author Barry B. Powell
Format Paperback
Page Count 228
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 324g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 154mm * 12mm