Ancestor of the West : writing, reasoning, and religion in Mesopotamia, Elam, and Greece / Jean Bottéro, Clarisse Herrenschmidt, and Jean-Pierre Vernant ; with a foreword by François Zabbal ; translated by Teresa Lavender Fagan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bottéro, Jean.

Contributor:

Herrenschmidt, Clarisse.

Vernant, Jean-Pierre, 1914-2007.

Standardized Title:

Orient ancien et nous. English

Language:

English

French

Subjects (All):

Writing.

History.

Middle East--Civilization--To 622.

Middle East.

Civilization.

Writing--Middle East--History.

Middle East--Religion.

Religion.

Physical Description:

xiii, 192 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2000.

Summary:

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"

Notes:

Translation of: L'Orient ancien et nous.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-181) and index.

ISBN:

0226067157

0226067165

OCLC:

41049566