Ancestor of the West: Writing, Reasoning, and Religion in Mesopotamia, ELAM, and Greece

Book Description
With Ancestor of the West, three distinguished French historians reveal the story of the birth of writing and reason, demonstrating how the logical religious structures of Near Eastern and Mesopotamian cultures served as precursors to those of the West.

"Full of matter for anyone interested in language, religion, and politics in the ancient world."--R. T. Ridley, Journal of Religious History

"In this accessible introduction to the ancient world, three leading French scholars explore the emergence of rationality and writing in the West, tracing its development and its survival in our own traditions. . . . Jean Bottero focuses on writing and religion in ancient Mesopotamia, Clarisse Herrenschmidt considers a broader history of ancient writing, and Jean-Pierre Vernant examines classical Greek civilization in the context of Near Eastern history."--Translation Review



Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French


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Three French scholars explore the emergence of rationality and writing in western culture, tracing its development and its survival in our own traditions. They emphasize that the supposed twin pillars of Greece and the Bible, were built on logical and religious structures that originated much earlier in Mesopotamia. The original criture, la raison, les dieux/> was published by Éditions Albin Michel in 1996. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


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