| Do you believe that counting--for example: marks on a bone--was the
| first form of written thoughts of any kind?
|
| Wasn't there a book to the effect ten or so years ago?
Dear Sam,
According to Denise Schmandt-Besserat, Professor of Art and Middle Eastern
Studies at the University of Texas at Austin,
"...
The most important evidence uncovered is that counting was not,
as formerly assumed, subservient to writing; on the contrary,
writing emerged from counting." [1]
What do other scholars on this list think about this statement?...
[1] "How Writing Came About", Austin: University of Texas Press, xii,
193 pages, 1996. ISBN: 0-292777043.
This book is an abridged edition of volume I ("From Counting to Cuneiform")
of the now classic "Before writing" [2].
[2] "Before Writing", Austin: University of Texas Press, 2 vols., 1992.
Volume 1. "From Counting to Cuneiform". ISBN: 0-292707835.
Volume 2. "A Catalog of Near Eastern Tokens". ISBN: 0-292707843.
With best regards,
Julio