A Comparative Study of the Origins of Chinese and Mesoamerican Writing
Dissertation
Datum der mündl. Prüfung:2024-02-01
Erschienen:2024-02-27
Betreuer:Prof. Dr. Gordon Whittaker
Gutachter:Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Behr
Gutachter:Prof. Dr. Michael Dürr
Dateien
Name:JIN, Yang_A Comparative Study of the Origins...pdf
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Description:Dissertation
Zusammenfassung
Englisch
This comparative study is aiming at exploring the nature, origins, circumstances, and factors affecting the origin, of early writing systems in China and Mesoamerica. It focuses on the following aspects relating to the origins of writing: What is writing? When and where did writing first appear? Why did writing appear? Was writing evolved or invented? The dissertation contains five chapters: The first chapter is introduction. It introduces early Chinese and Mesoamerican graphic recording systems, and the question of how to define writing. The nature of the oracle-bone charge and controversial aspects of a broad definition of writing are also discussed. The second chapter concerns the current status of research on the origin of four early writing systems: Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Chinese and Mesoamerican. The third chapter discusses the nature of materials preceding and leading down to the oracle-bone inscriptions. The most controversial Neolithic graphic forms are discussed in detail. The fourth chapter concerns the nature of early graphic recording systems in Mesoamerica. The Olmec glyphs, the Zapotec, epi-Olmec and Maya writing systems are discussed in detail. The fifth chapter is the comparison of the origins of early Chinese and Mesoamerican writing. It is divided into four sections: (1) writing as an invention; (2) the nature of early Chinese and Mesoamerican writings; (3) what was the original purpose or function of writing?; and (4) re-discussion of stimulus diffusion. A brief summation of the dissertation follows the last chapter.
Keywords: origins of writing; early Chinese writing; early Mesoamerican writing; oracle-bone inscriptions; Chinese Neolithic graphic forms; early writing systems; original purpose or function of writing; bronze inscriptions