Whether it's the possibility of hearing the voices of ancient peoples or
the puzzle solver's taste for the challenges posed by breaking codes,
undeciphered scripts have long tantalized the public. Here, Andrew
Robinson investigates the most famous examples, beginning with the
stories of three great decipherments: Egyptian hieroglyphs, Maya glyphs,
and the Minoan Linear B clay tablets.
He then tackles the important scripts that have yet to be cracked.
Perhaps the greatest challenge is the Indus script, the onl writing of
the four first civilizations that cannot be read and a potential key to
better understanding the impressive Indus Valley civilization. Then
there are the Etruscans, builders of sensational tombs and the cultural
conduit through whom the Greek alphabet reached Rome and the rest of
Europe. Yet the language spoken by the Etruscans remains wrapped in
mystery. And on isolated Easter Island, the Rongorongo script, inscribed
on wood with sharks' teeth, has long been an irresistible magnet for
ambitious scholars.
The struggle to decipher these three scripts and six others--including
the Phaistos disc of Crete and the Zapotec script of Mexico--is
recounted with extraordinary depth and erudition in this wonderfully
illustrated book. Lost Languages is an archaeological and linguistic
detective story that will appeal to anyone interested in ancient peoples
and the intricacies of language.
Andrew Robinson's many books include The Story of Writing.
