Writing matters : Italy in the 1st millennium BCE / Ruth Whitehouse.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Whitehouse, Ruth, author.

Series:

UCL World Archaeology Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Inscriptions, Ancient--Italy.

Inscriptions, Ancient.

Writing--Italy--History--To 1500.

Writing.

Italy--Antiquities.

Italy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (272 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

London, England : Bloomsbury Academic, [2024]

System Details:

text file HTML

Summary:

This scholarly work by Ruth Whitehouse explores the development and significance of writing in Italy during the first millennium BCE. It examines various inscriptions and their materiality, focusing on how writing influenced societal structures, communication, and cultural practices. The book employs a multidisciplinary approach including archaeology, epigraphy, and heritage studies to provide insights into the role of writing in ancient Italian societies. It is intended for academics and students interested in archaeology, linguistics, and ancient history. Generated by AI.

Contents:

Cover

Halftitle page

UCL World Archaeology Series

Title page

Copyright page

Dedication

CONTENTS

FIGURES

TABLES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SERIES PREFACE

PROLOGUE: AIM OF THE BOOK

Arrangement of the book

Terminology and conventions

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

Background to the study

Italy in the first millennium BCE

The epigraphic record

Types of monument and artefact

Techniques of writing

The databases

Materiality

Literacy

CHAPTER 2 APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF WRITING

Classifying inscriptions

Classifi cation based on content

Classifi cation based on archaeological context

Classification based on materiality

New avenues to explore

Investigating technology

Comparison with uninscribed artefacts of similar types

Sensory experimentation

Conclusion

CHAPTER 3 A MATERIAL TYPOLOGY

Portable writing

Installation writing

Landscape writing

Corporeal relationships between people and writing

Relationships with portable writing

Relationships with installation writing

Relationships with landscape writing

Conclusions

CHAPTER 4 ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT, MATERIALITY AND CONTENT IN THE ITALIAN DATABASES

A three-fold classification

Archaeological context

Funerary inscriptions

Sanctuary inscriptions

Settlement inscriptions

Outcomes of using archaeological context as a primary category

Other types of inscription

CHAPTER 5 AGENCY AND PRODUCTION: A CHAÎNE OPÉRATOIRE APPROACH

Individual materials and the chaîne opératoire

Stone

Wood

Bone, horn, antler and ivory

Pottery

Applications of the chaîne opératoire approach

Case study 1: the workshop at Poggio Civitate

Case study 2: textile production at Monte Loffa

Conclusions.

CHAPTER 6 WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES WRITING MAKE?

Introduction

Etruscan tombstones from Bologna

What difference does writing make?

Venetic styluses from the Baratella sanctuary at Este

The site

Loom weights from Botromagno, Gravina-in-Puglia

Discussion of case studies

CHAPTER 7 OBJECTS THAT SPEAK

The concept of speaking objects

Speaking objects in early Italy

From the point of view of the objects

Human-object relationships

Ownership

Gifts and dedications

Manufacturing, decorating and writing

Human-human relationships mediated through objects

Human-divine relationships mediated through objects

CHAPTER 8 THE RITUALIZATION OF WRITING

Background

Case study 1: Etruscan alphabets

Discussion

Case study 2: Venetic bronze tablets and styluses

Bronze writing tablets

Bronze styluses

The fetishization of writing

The teaching of writing

The ritual context

Status of practitioners

CHAPTER 9 WHAT'S IN A NAME?

The data

The anthropology of naming

Names as personal identifiers

Naming as classification

The politics of naming

The power of names

Written names

Names in first-millennium BCE inscriptions

Identification

Name form

Names as classification

CHAPTER 10 GENDER, WRITING AND OBJECTS

Studying the connection of women with writing

The three 'w's: the women/weaving/writing nexus

West centralItaly and the Po Plain (Etruscans)

The Northeast (Veneti)

The Northeast (Raeti)

The Southeast (Messapians

The Northwest

Other evidence associating women with writing

What women's involvement in writing meant

Conclusion.

CHAPTER 11 WRITING IN SOCIETY

Writing as the preserve of the elite

Writing for administrative purposes

Writing for commercial purposes

How the elite used writing

Contributions to the discussion from approaches used in this book

'Writers' and 'readers'

CHAPTER 12 CONCLUSIONS

Human relationships with inscribed artefacts and monuments

Technology

The agency of objects

The ritualization of writing

The prevalence of personal names

The social uses of writing

Regional variation

The future of materiality-based approaches to writing

NOTES

REFERENCES

INDEX.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Part of the metadata in this record was created by AI, based on the text of the resource.

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Whitehouse, Ruth Writing Matters

ISBN:

9781350412545

9781350412538

1350412538

9781350412552

1350412554

1350412546

OCLC:

1443081241