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. And on isolated Easter Island, the Rongorongo script, inscribed on wood with sharks' teeth, has long been an irresistible magnet for ambitious scholars. Yet the language spoken by the Etruscans remains wrapped in mystery. 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. 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.
He then tackles the important scripts that have yet to be cracked. 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. Read more competing for the rare honour of cracking these ancient codes – and giving voice to forgotten worlds.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. Lost Languages reports from the front lines of scholarship where obsessions, genius, occasional delusion and sometimes bitter rivalry are de rigueur among those currently. These include the Etruscan alphabet of Italy, the Indus Valley seal script, Rongorongo from remote Easter Island, the Zapotec script of Mexico (probably the first writing system in the Americas), and the unique Phaistos disc of Crete. Beginning with the stories of three great decipherments – Egyptian hieroglyphs, Minoan Linear B and Mayan glyphs – Lost Languages moves on to dissect the most well-known and enigmatic undeciphered scripts from around the world. Num Pages: 352 pages, black & white illustrations, black & white line drawings, maps. Description for Lost Languages: The Enigma of the World's Undeciphered Scripts Paperback.
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