Homer and the Origin of the Greek Alphabet [Paperback]

Barry B. Powell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 052158907X | ISBN-13: 978-0521589079 | Publication Date: October 28, 1996

What caused the invention of the Greek alphabet? Who did it, and why? The purpose of this challenging book is to inquire systematically into the historical causes that underlay the radical shift from earlier and less efficient writing systems to the use of alphabetic writing. The author declares his conclusion to be a possibly surprising one--that a single man, perhaps from the island of Euboea, invented the Greek alphabet specifically in order to record the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer.

Editorial Reviews

Review

' ... this is a book which is as remarkable for the ingenuity of its answers to difficult questions as it is for its useful review and compelling display of so much of the relevant evidence.' Bryn Mawr Classical Review

'[This] is an important book, and will be widely read by students of writing in other cultures as well as by Homerists, linguists, historians and archaeologists of early Greece.' Classical Philology

Book Description

What caused the invention of the Greek alphabet? Who did it, and why? The purpose of this challenging book is to inquire systematically into the historical causes that underlay the radical shift from earlier and less efficient writing-systems to the use of alphabetic writing. The author declares his conclusion to be a possibly surprising one SH that a single man, perhaps from the island of Euboea, invented the Greek alphabet specifically in order to record the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 28, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052158907X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521589079
• Product Dimensions: 13.9 x 3.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #462,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Ancient Greek
  • #59 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Greek > Instruction

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Discussion of Script Evolution, June 16, 2000

By 

Paul V Caetano - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homer and the Origin of the Greek Alphabet (Paperback)

This book's thesis is that the Greek alphabet was adapted by a single person in order to record Homer. While the idea is interesting, the evidence certainly is not definitive. I found the author's arguments unconvincing and hard to follow. However, the book is a good resource for old inscriptions, including some sexually explicit grafitti. The book also provides a good history of the early Greek alphabet and the the Cypriot syllabary.

4 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Science Fiction, November 19, 2004

By 

Bill Kambouroglou (New York City, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Homer and the Origin of the Greek Alphabet (Paperback)

This book should be listed under science fiction books. The author only speculates without providing any basis or proof, and even worse even his speculations are rehashes from other authors. His arguments can be destroyed by anyone with a basic knowledge of history and language. It was extreamly disappointing and in the entire book there was not even one original thought. The only thing out of this book that is useful are the footnotes, where a reader can get some useful information on other books.