THE STONE THAT SPOKE and Other Clues to the Decipherment of Lost Languages

by Steven Frimmer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1969

The Rosetta Stone, the Behistun monument, the Tower of Babel, the excavations of Ninevah, Babylon, Knossos -- how one decipherment led to another, how scholars used other languages and their own hunches to reconstruct lost writing systems. The section on finding the Rosetta Stone is unnecessarily detailed; subsequent examination of other work is uneven both in depth and detail -- e.g. Schliemann's work in Troy and Mycenae is mentioned only as prelude to unpuzzling Crete's Linear A and B. The idea of a community of minds with advantageously varying backgrounds is roughly documented but the book lacks cohesion.

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1969

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1969

Categories: NONFICTION