Periodic Reporting for period 2 - INSCRIBE (INvention of SCRIpts and their BEginnings)
Reporting period: 2020-04-01 to 2021-09-30
INSCRIBE focuses on the invention of writing from a global multi-disciplianry perspective and seeks to apply decipherment strategies for scripts that are still undeciphered (especially the earliest in Europe, from the Aegean). The methods applied range from an in-depth archaeological, linguistic, paleographic, anthropological and cognitive perspective, to the application of state-of-the-art technological strategies tied to digital humanities and computer science. INSCRIBE engages in combinatorial, complementary methods geared to addressing: 1. how, when, why, how many times and through what trajectories writing was invented in the history of humankind; 2. The potential of decipherment of scripts whose language is still unidentified (mainly the Aegean scripts, Cretan Hieroglyphic, Linear and Cypro-Minoan).
The implications for today’s society are manifold: 1. Establishing the precise number of inventions of writing, in the first instance, can help us establish whether convergences mirror universal features (how do we select icons to be part of graphic repertoires? What is the interface between art and language? Do specific linguistic mechanisms, such as rebus, play similar roles? Do emojis, for instance, follow similar paths to the earliest scripts?). The cognitive ramifications are all-too-important, because the interface between visual perception and the environment clearly play a significant role in the ways in which scripts are first created. This research question has never been tackled in the scholarship.
The implications for today’s society are manifold: 1. Establishing the precise number of inventions of writing, in the first instance, can help us establish whether convergences mirror universal features (how do we select icons to be part of graphic repertoires? What is the interface between art and language? Do specific linguistic mechanisms, such as rebus, play similar roles? Do emojis, for instance, follow similar paths to the earliest scripts?). The cognitive ramifications are all-too-important, because the interface between visual perception and the environment clearly play a significant role in the ways in which scripts are first created. This research question has never been tackled in the scholarship.
Into a year and a half, INSCRIBE has not yet reached its full capacity in terms of its total composition. So far, 2 temporary Assistant Professors, 1 Post-doc and 2 PhDs have been hired. Here is a full list of the activities carried out so far:
Progress in Project WPs:
The team has started addressing specific strands related to WP1, WP2, WP4, and is in the process of addressing WP3. WP4 was unfortunately halted after the SARS-COV2 outbreak, but the next museum visits have been arranged, and permission has been granted to access the material (namely Cretan Hieroglyphic, Linear A and Cypro-Minoan inscriptions) housed in the Museum of Heraklio, Crete and the Museum of Cyprus, Nicosia in September. These visits are geared towards the first-ever creation of 3D models of all inscriptions (mainly tablets) written in the Aegean undeciphered scripts.
Dissemination:
1. The PI was involved in the first creation of the INSCRIBE website (https://site.unibo.it/inscribe/en) and the dissemination activities through 3 media outlets (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).
2. The PI published a book with the largest Italian publishing house, La Feltrinelli, entitled La Grande Invenzione, which will be translated into 6 languages in 7 countries with major publishing houses (USA, UK, Spain, Germany, France, Greece, China). The book received significant resonance in the press, and the PI was interviewed several times on TV and radio.
3. During the SARS-COV2 pandemic, the PI transposed all activities on online platforms, and created a series of seminars, SCRIBO (Ancient Scripts in Bologna), a first-ever series uniquely dedicated to ancient writing systems and their decipherment. SCRIBO launched in early May 2020 and has attracted hundreds of views.
Output:
INSCRIBE has, so far, published 1 book, 4 articles, and 1 review. Moreover, it has submitted two more articles, which are now under review. A further article has been resubmitted with minor changes and is in the process of being accepted.
Progress in Project WPs:
The team has started addressing specific strands related to WP1, WP2, WP4, and is in the process of addressing WP3. WP4 was unfortunately halted after the SARS-COV2 outbreak, but the next museum visits have been arranged, and permission has been granted to access the material (namely Cretan Hieroglyphic, Linear A and Cypro-Minoan inscriptions) housed in the Museum of Heraklio, Crete and the Museum of Cyprus, Nicosia in September. These visits are geared towards the first-ever creation of 3D models of all inscriptions (mainly tablets) written in the Aegean undeciphered scripts.
Dissemination:
1. The PI was involved in the first creation of the INSCRIBE website (https://site.unibo.it/inscribe/en) and the dissemination activities through 3 media outlets (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).
2. The PI published a book with the largest Italian publishing house, La Feltrinelli, entitled La Grande Invenzione, which will be translated into 6 languages in 7 countries with major publishing houses (USA, UK, Spain, Germany, France, Greece, China). The book received significant resonance in the press, and the PI was interviewed several times on TV and radio.
3. During the SARS-COV2 pandemic, the PI transposed all activities on online platforms, and created a series of seminars, SCRIBO (Ancient Scripts in Bologna), a first-ever series uniquely dedicated to ancient writing systems and their decipherment. SCRIBO launched in early May 2020 and has attracted hundreds of views.
Output:
INSCRIBE has, so far, published 1 book, 4 articles, and 1 review. Moreover, it has submitted two more articles, which are now under review. A further article has been resubmitted with minor changes and is in the process of being accepted.
In terms of different strands of INSCRIBE, the major breakthroughs can be summarized as follows:
1. WP4: the first-ever 3D models of the Aegean and the Rongorongo inscriptions have been produced with a high definition laser scanner and are now part of an online database. We so far have created 3D models for 2 very complex Rongorongo tablets and 20 Aegean inscriptions.
2. WP1: from a linguistic perspective we have published an article in the top-tier journal in the field that aims to assess how writing is invented globally (‘Rebus and acrophony in invented writing’ in Writing Systems Research 11/1).
3. WP3: INSCRIBE has analyzed the fraction system of Linear A and produced an article submitted to the very top-tier publication, the Journal of Archaeological Science. This article is fundamental to the aims and results of the project as it has reached a milestone: the decipherment of the fraction values of the Linear A script: this means that we have been able to definitively establish their mathematical values. This is a major breakthrough in the field.
1. WP4: the first-ever 3D models of the Aegean and the Rongorongo inscriptions have been produced with a high definition laser scanner and are now part of an online database. We so far have created 3D models for 2 very complex Rongorongo tablets and 20 Aegean inscriptions.
2. WP1: from a linguistic perspective we have published an article in the top-tier journal in the field that aims to assess how writing is invented globally (‘Rebus and acrophony in invented writing’ in Writing Systems Research 11/1).
3. WP3: INSCRIBE has analyzed the fraction system of Linear A and produced an article submitted to the very top-tier publication, the Journal of Archaeological Science. This article is fundamental to the aims and results of the project as it has reached a milestone: the decipherment of the fraction values of the Linear A script: this means that we have been able to definitively establish their mathematical values. This is a major breakthrough in the field.