Writing and Civilization: From Ancient Worlds to Modernity

A Spellbinding survey of writing systems

It has happened more than once that I had to consider either buying the ‘Audible’ audio version of a ‘Great Courses’ course or the downloadable video version of the same course. What was I thinking not buying this a course on writing in video format with an accompanying .pdf guide!? The content of Prof Marc Zender’s ‘Writing and Civilization: From Ancient Worlds to Modernity’ is so gripping, it left me spellbound. (That said, I do have a thorough background in Semitic and Classical Languages… but he was able to broaden my understanding of writing systems.)

He takes the listener through a journey of writing signs and systems in 24 lectures which are intricately connected and completely mesmerising! I think this course is probably one of the best structured courses I have listened yet. Starting with the basic concept of writing, dispelling myths surrounding Futhark (the runic alphabet), he proceeds to more difficult scripts such as that of the Chinese. Subsequently the listener is introduced to the decipherment of different ancient writing systems, such as Egyptian hieroglyphs, Cuneiform and later on Mayan hieroglyphs. By comparing the properties of different systems of writing, he is able to illustrate some fascinating universal aspects of writing. (He convincingly argues and illustrates that writing systems were invented at different times in different places, but also that some peoples borrowed their writings from others.) Prof Zender discusses failed attempts of decipherment, the reasons thereto, as wells as invented scripts and languages such as those of JRR Tolkien.

This course is a highly accessible as well as an excellent overview of writing over the ages. It is presented professionally. Yet I refrain from giving it 5 stars under ‘story’ and overall because not being able to see the examples that Prof Zender used, kept me an outsider to complete insights. While I do understand that Audible does not provide the accompanying .pdf guide to any of ‘The Great Courses’ not being able to follow the Mayan or Egyptian hieroglyphic examples in the course felt utterly frustrating. I believe that a shortened .pdf file without all the contents of the regular guide could be made available to give the listener the best value for his/her money.

All said, ‘Writing and Civilization: From Ancient Worlds to Modernity’ is a brilliant course, splendidly arranged, highly engaging, well presented and highly relevant for anyone interested in languages and its writing systems.

19 of 19 people found this review helpful

Loved it!

Where does Writing and Civilization: From Ancient Worlds to Modernity rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Definitely in the top 20.

What did you like best about this story?

Fascinating detail about how writing systems from all over the world and their commonalities and differences

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Not recommended on Audible

If you aren't familiar with the Great Courses series, you might not be aware that they are developed originally as video recordings of lectures. However, only the audio portion of the lectures is available through Audible. For many courses, this is not a large issue as each course comes with a pdf supplement that usually provides missing visual aids referenced in the lectures. Unfortunately, in Writing and Civilization a great deal of the visual aids referenced in the lectures are not provided in the pdf supplement. In particular the lectures on the decipherment of Egyptian Hierogplyphs, Cuniform, and Mayan Hieroglyphs are almost useless. The meaning of Prof. Zender's excellent descriptions is completely lost since it is impossible to see the examples that he refers to during these lectures. If you are interested in this subject, I recommend avoiding this course on Audible and purchasing the DVDs through the Great Courses website instead.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Another Wonderful Course!

I enjoy listening to Audible's The Great Courses series of books. This one started out slow... lot's of background information... but the narrator is excellent and at the 30% mark, I was hooked!

There are so many interesting facts and so much information about how languages and writing styles came and went, and I would have enjoyed this much more if there had been lecture handouts with graphs and images, but still all in all a great course/lecture.

The one thing that shocked me was learning that The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy proposed in 2009, and now adopted by 45 of the United States, does not mandate cursive instruction. Only keyboarding is required.

So, what happens when/if there's a time, generations from now, when something happens - like a solar flare - that shuts down electrical grids and there are no keyboards to type on? How will people communicate? Also, think about what that means. Cursive is a dying art form, and someday your grand-kids will be asking you to show them what writing looks like.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Reduced from very good to mediocre by a lack of course notes

In the latter part of the audible book professor Zender uses course notes to explain script detail. The lack of said notes makes this part of the audio book frustrating to listen to.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

One of the best great courses

I've listened to around thirty great courses series from audible now and this is one of the best. The information density is quite high, and the professor weaves an engaging series of narrative history on decipherment along with linguistics. I found its execution very similar in style to the set on ancient Egypt. The lack of visible slides (such as a grid of symbols or an inscription that's being described) is an issue because they are referenced frequently, but not a deal breaker.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Delightful and dense introduction to linguistics

The enthusiasm! Our prof is enthusiastic when he talks about Linear A and Linear B; I'd have said it couldn't be done.

There is a lot of information in this course, and all cheerful and charming. I expect to listen to it again. The Great Courses company has a lot of material on linguistics, and I think this was a fortunate first, since I mean to hear more of them.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fascinating, surprising

An illuminating survey of the history and mechanics of writing. Spans millennia and continents but nevertheless offers enough detail and real-world examples to make the broader analysis accessible. You'll be surprised at how much you didn't know about writing, and how much of what you knew was wrong.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Boringly named - totally mindblowing

History buffs need to buy this book. It will change your view on so many things.
period.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

A fascinating exposition of writing & deciphering

I've always been fascinated by different writing systems. I think most young people want to learn how to read Egyptian hieroglyphs. I think midst adults still do. this series of lectures is an accessible description of such things. I thoroughly enjoyed it. As I pursue work where I can teach computers to read handwriting in multiple languages, the things I learned here will be indispensable.