DOCSLIB.ORG

Predecessors & Pioneers

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Predecessors & Pioneers IIID Public Library Information Design 6 Predecessors & Pioneers Revised edition 2015 Rune Pettersson Institute for infology IIID Public Library The “IIID Public Library” is a free resource for all who are interested in information design. This book was kindly donated by the author free of charge to visitors of the IIID Public Library / Website. International Institute for Information Design (IIID) designforum Wien, MQ/quartier 21 Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Wien, Austria www.iiid.net Information Design 6 Predecessors & Pioneers Predecessors Pioneers Rune Pettersson * Institute for infology Information Design 6–Predecessors & Pioneers Yin and yang, or yin-yang, is a concept used in Chinese phi- losophy to describe how seemingly opposite forces are inter- connected and interdependent, and how they give rise to each other. Many natural dualities, such as life and death, light and dark, are thought of as physical manifestations of the concept. Yin and yang can also be thought of as complementary forces interacting to form a dynamic system in which the whole is greater than the parts. In information design, theory and prac- tice is an example where the whole is greater than the parts. In this book drawings and photos are my own, unless other information. ISBN 978-91-85334-33-9 © Rune Pettersson Tullinge 2015 2 Preface Information design is a multi-disciplinary, multi-dimensional, and worldwide consideration with influences from areas such as language, art and aesthetics, information, communication, be- haviour and cognition, business and law, as well as media pro- duction technologies. Since my retirement I have edited and revised sections of my earlier books, conference papers and reports about informa- tion design, message design, visual communication and visual literacy. The result is this series of six books: Information Design 1–Message Design Information Design 2–Text Design Information Design 3–Image Design Information Design 4–Graphic Design Information Design 5–Cognition Information Design 6–Predecessors & Pioneers These books include definitions, selected results from research, theoretical considerations, as well as practical guidelines for message design. The intended reader is especially interested in research and theory related to message design, and the design of information materials and information sets. Tullinge, Sweden Rune Pettersson, Ph.D. Retired Professor of Information Design 3 Contents Preface 3 Contents 4 Introduction 8 Our oldest pictures 10 The Blombos Cave 12 Basic elements in a picture 13 Graphic symbols 15 Body art 16 The Chauvet Cave 19 Carved figures 22 Pottery 23 Ertebølle culture 24 Funnelbeaker culture 26 Pitted ware culture 27 Corded ware culture 28 Rock carvings 29 Northern rock carvings 30 Southern rock carvings 33 Newgrange 35 A large turf mound 35 The winter solstice 36 Neolithic rock designs 37 Stonehenge 39 Sierra de San Francisco 41 The Bronze Age culture 44 A rich visual world 45 Purposes and functions of rock art 46 Motifs in rock art 50 Design or art? 59 Herculaneum and Pompeii 64 4 Early writing systems 66 Books of the dead 68 Pharaoh Amenhotep II and Sennefer 69 Rune stones 71 Image stones 73 Inscribed verbal and visual messages 76 The Tjängvide rune stone 76 The Sparlösa rune stone 78 The Ramsund inscription 82 The Spånga rune stone 83 The large Jelling stone 84 Pictures in churches 91 The movie in Chichén Itza 92 Temple cities 92 Chichén Itza 95 An early “strip” 99 Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi 101 The Upper Church 102 Giotto di Bondone 103 Parish churches 104 Why were churches decorated? 105 Albertus Pictor 106 The church decorations 107 The audiences 113 Lighting conditions 113 Sources of inspiration 115 An early information designer 118 Architecture and sculpture 120 Bernt Notke 123 Gianlorenzo Bernini 124 The father of the Baroque style 125 Motion designer 126 5 Light designer 129 Sound designer 131 Paintings and drawings 132 Leon Battista Alberti 134 Peter Paul Rubens 136 Early books 138 Manuscripts 139 Aesthetic decorations 139 Visual instructions 140 Woodcuts 141 Biblia pauperum 142 Johann Gutenberg 146 Movable type 146 The 42 line page 148 Rapid dissemination 150 Technology for words 151 Andrea Alciati 152 Renaissance emblem books 152 Emblematum liber 153 Cesare Ripa 160 Iconologia 161 Conscious work 164 Andreas Vesalius 165 The Fabrica and the Epitome 167 Controversial knowledge 169 Iohannes Amos Comenius 170 Philosophy of education 171 Orbis Sensualium Pictus 172 Dénis Diderot 174 La Grande Encyclopédie 174 The Age of Enlightenment 178 Graphic design 180 6 Geoffroy Tory 184 Stanley Morison 186 Max Miedinger 187 Early posters 189 Jules Chéret 190 Modern technology 191 The father of the poster 191 Huge production 193 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec 194 Bohemian lifestyle 195 Moulin Rouge 196 Japanese woodcuts 199 More posters 199 A short life 200 Alfons Maria Mucha 201 Educational posters 203 Early diagram design 205 Joseph Priestley 207 Charles Joseph Minard 208 Michael George Mulhall 211 Willard Cope Brinton 212 Harry Beck 213 Early photography 217 Early film 218 Early television 220 References 222 7 Introduction Where are the roots of information design? Where are the early examples of artefacts where the creators have used combined and effective verbal and visual messages? Who are the major predecessors and pioneers in information design? This book in- cludes some examples of people who have served as inspirers and sometimes as guides in the design of messages with words, images and form. In this book I have used the word predecessor for people who are unknown to us today. In these cases we still have access to the results of some of their work. It may be a painting on the ceiling as well as the walls in a church. In this book I have used the word pioneer for people who we know by their names. These individuals were working as ar- chitects, artists, engineers, graphic designers, mathematicians, painters, photographers, printers, sculptors, statistics, teachers, type designers, typographers, and writers. Many had several professions or skills. Obviously there are many people who have worked in these occupations. I have subjectively selected a few individuals whom I find fascinating. They all lived long before information design was established as a scientific discipline and as an aca- demic subject matter. All of them were working in other occupa- tions. However, their widespread discoveries and their experi- ences can help us to convey clear messages today. Some of these predecessors and pioneers are discussed in the following chapters. There are a number of suggested Inter- net addresses for pictures and video sequences. Memories of past experiences have largely been preserved in written records. Historians often focus on events and human 8 developments that occurred in “blocks of time” or “periods” in our history. However, all these systems are more or less arbi- trary, and they are often very specific to geographical locations. Also the dates of the start and end of a particular period vary. This means that a specific year may a part of different “histori- cal periods” in different geographical locations. This book is an interpretative history of combined verbal and visual messages. It is not a linear sequence. The examples of predecessors and pioneers in information design are not discussed chronologi- cally but rather in a thematic manner. In this book historical periods are mainly related to the de- velopment of architecture, painting and sculpture in Europe. There is a European, or even a Scandinavian, focus in this book. 9 Our oldest pictures Prehistory is the period before written history. By studying carvings, drawings, paintings, pottery, sculptures, and other ar- tefacts, archaeologists may recover some information even in the absence of written records. The controlled use of fire occurred about 800 thousand years ago. Modern humans, Homo sapiens, emerged in Africa 250 thousand years ago. Around 60–70 thousand years ago modern humans migrated out of Africa and spread in different directions. They reached Europe about 40,000 years ago. The first lines in the comprehensive book “The history of art, architecture, painting, sculpture” begins with the following paragraph (Myers & Copplestone, 1990, p. 10): The earliest art known to us goes back to the very dawn of the history of mankind–indeed, it is fair to say that making art is one of the earliest human activities of which we now have a record. The painting and sculpture of the Old Stone Age provably antedates the majority of the basic crafts, even weaving or making pottery. It is far older than metal working, and belongs to a level of society which we now find almost unimaginably primitive.” Since the Neolithic period (approximately 10,000–2,000 BC) people have communicated not only through gestures and sounds, but also by means of visual language (de Jong, 2010, p. 7). Worldwide, hunters and gatherers and later early farmers made use of information systems to advertise services and pro- ducts. Rock art is an archaeological term used to refer to human- made markings placed on natural stone. It is a form of land- 10 scape art. Prehistoric rock art include images that are carved, engraved, or painted on cave walls and ceilings, and on open-air boulder and cliff faces, rocks or exposed glaciated pavements, and slabs, and engraved into the ground. In some parts of the world images were painted or engraved on bone, eggshell, ivory, leather, portable pieces of rock, and on wood. Human and ani- mal figures were also modelled and sculptured from bone, clay, ivory, and stone. Rock art is found in all parts of the globe ex- cept Antarctica. Many terms are used for discussions about prehistoric rock art in the published literature, such as: petroglyphs, rock carv- ings, rock drawings, rock engravings, rock images, rock inscrip- tions, rock paintings, rock pictures, rock records, and rock sculptures.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Modern Rune Carving in Northern Scotland. Futhark 8
    Modern Rune Carving in Northern Scotland Andrea Freund and Ragnhild Ljosland (University of the Highlands and Islands) Abstract This article discusses modern runic inscriptions from Orkney and Caithness. It presents various examples, some of which were previously considered “genuine”, and reveals that OR 13 Skara Brae is of modern provenance. Other examples from the region can be found both on boulders or in bedrock and in particular on ancient monuments ranging in date from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. The terminology applied to modern rune carving, in particular the term “forgery”, is examined, and the phenomenon is considered in relation to the Ken sington runestone. Comparisons with modern rune carving in Sweden are made and suggestions are presented as to why there is such an abundance of recently carved inscriptions in Northern Scotland. Keywords: Scotland, Orkney, Caithness, modern runic inscriptions, modern rune carving, OR 13 Skara Brae, Kensington runestone Introduction his article concerns runic inscriptions from Orkney and Caithness Tthat were, either demonstrably or arguably, made in the modern period. The objective is twofold: firstly, the authors aim to present an inventory of modern inscriptions currently known to exist in Orkney and Caith ness. Secondly, they intend to discuss the concept of runic “forgery”. The question is when terms such as “fake” or “forgery” are helpful in de­ scribing a modern runic inscription, and when they are not. Included in the inventory are only those inscriptions which may, at least to an untrained eye, be mistaken for pre­modern. Runes occurring for example on jewellery, souvenirs, articles of clothing, in logos and the Freund, Andrea, and Ragnhild Ljosland.
    [Show full text]
  • Language and Runes
    Language andRunes Extracts of Swarkestone runic verse These dialects were spoken across what are from The now Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and were in Ransome of Egill the Scald taken to Iceland when the Vikings settled there. Derbyshire and The Dying Ode of Regner Modern Icelandic is the closest surviving form combines Lodbrog on the title page of this medieval tongue; many Icelanders today the Old of their first English can still easily enjoy the medieval Icelandic Norse translation. Thomas sagas of the 12th-14th centuries in their original personal Percy, Five written form. name Pieces of Runic Poetry Swerkir with the Old English Translated from Anglo-Saxons spoke Old English, the ancestor Pp 1-2 from Magnús Ólafsson’s the Islandic element -tun (meaning ‘farm’ Old Icelandic dictionary with runic Language to our modern language. Old English was headwords and Latin definitions. (London or ‘homestead’), suggesting Magnús Ólafsson, Specimen lexici 1763). another Germanic language, with close kinship runici, obscuriorum qvarundam vocum, Eiríkur perhaps that a Viking took qvae in priscis occurrunt historiis & Benedikz to Old Norse, so it is plausible that Old poëtis danicis (Copenhagen 1650) Icelandic over an Anglo-Saxon farm. Special Collection Oversize PD2093.W6 Collection English and Old Norse speakers could, to a PT7245.E5 certain extent, understand one another. Early The Scandinavians also brought their system medieval Scandinavians had a notable effect on of writing with them: runes. The runic the development of modern English: words alphabet the Viking settlers employed is such as skirt, sky, window, and egg are all derived known as the Younger Futhark and consists from Old Norse.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient and Other Scripts
    The Unicode® Standard Version 13.0 – Core Specification To learn about the latest version of the Unicode Standard, see http://www.unicode.org/versions/latest/. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trade- mark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters or in all capitals. Unicode and the Unicode Logo are registered trademarks of Unicode, Inc., in the United States and other countries. The authors and publisher have taken care in the preparation of this specification, but make no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the use of the information or programs contained herein. The Unicode Character Database and other files are provided as-is by Unicode, Inc. No claims are made as to fitness for any particular purpose. No warranties of any kind are expressed or implied. The recipient agrees to determine applicability of information provided. © 2020 Unicode, Inc. All rights reserved. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission must be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction. For information regarding permissions, inquire at http://www.unicode.org/reporting.html. For information about the Unicode terms of use, please see http://www.unicode.org/copyright.html. The Unicode Standard / the Unicode Consortium; edited by the Unicode Consortium. — Version 13.0. Includes index. ISBN 978-1-936213-26-9 (http://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode13.0.0/) 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Elder Futhark Rune Poem and Some Notes RYKHART: ODINSXRAL
    Elder Futhark Rune Poem and some notes RYKHART: ODINSXRAL Dedication Mysteries ancient, Allfather found Wrested from anguish, nine days fast bound Hung from the world tree, pierced by the spear Odin who seized them, make these staves clear 1 Unless otherwise specified, all text and artwork within ELDER FUTHARK RUNE POEM and some notes RYKHART: ODINSXRAL are copyright by the author and is not to be copied or reproduced in any medium or form without the express written permission of the author Reikhart Odinsthrall both Reikhart Odinsthrall and RYKHART: ODINSXRAL are also both copyright Dec 31, 2013 Elder Futhark Rune Poem by Reikhart Odinsthrall is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://odinsthrall.co.uk/rune-poem.html. 2 F: Fehu : Cattle / Wealth Wealth is won and gold bestowed But honour's due to all men owed Gift the given and ware the lord For thy name's worth noised abroad U: Uruz : Aurochs / Wild-ox Wild ox-blood proud, sharp hornéd might On moorland harsh midst sprite and wight Unconquered will and fierce in form Through summer's sun and winter's storm X: Thurisaz : Thorn / Giant / Thor Thorn hedge bound the foe repelled A giant's anger by Mjolnir felled Thor protect us, fight for troth In anger true as Odin's wrath A: Ansuz : As / God / Odin In mead divine and written word In raven's call and whisper heard Wisdom seek and wise-way act In Mimir's well see Odin's pact R: Raidho : Journey / Carriage By horse and wheel to travel far Till journey's
    [Show full text]
  • The Unicode Standard, Version 3.0, Issued by the Unicode Consor- Tium and Published by Addison-Wesley
    The Unicode Standard Version 3.0 The Unicode Consortium ADDISON–WESLEY An Imprint of Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. Reading, Massachusetts · Harlow, England · Menlo Park, California Berkeley, California · Don Mills, Ontario · Sydney Bonn · Amsterdam · Tokyo · Mexico City Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Addison-Wesley was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial capital letters. However, not all words in initial capital letters are trademark designations. The authors and publisher have taken care in preparation of this book, but make no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the use of the information or programs contained herein. The Unicode Character Database and other files are provided as-is by Unicode®, Inc. No claims are made as to fitness for any particular purpose. No warranties of any kind are expressed or implied. The recipient agrees to determine applicability of information provided. If these files have been purchased on computer-readable media, the sole remedy for any claim will be exchange of defective media within ninety days of receipt. Dai Kan-Wa Jiten used as the source of reference Kanji codes was written by Tetsuji Morohashi and published by Taishukan Shoten. ISBN 0-201-61633-5 Copyright © 1991-2000 by Unicode, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other- wise, without the prior written permission of the publisher or Unicode, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • VISIBLE LANGUAGE the Journal for Research on the Visual Media Oflanguage Exjjression
    VISIBLE LANGUAGE The Journal for Research on the Visual Media ofLanguage ExjJression Volume VIII, Number 1, Winter 1974 ISSN oo22-2224 5-32 A Taxonomy of Alphabets and Scripts Earl M. Herrick 33-64 The Rune Stones of Spirit Pond, Maine Einar H augen 65-83 Excerpt: Greek Manuscripts of the Ancient \.Yorld E. G. Turner 84-88 Design in Brief: Word/Forms Gay Beste Reineck 89-93 Correspondence 94-95 Abstracts ofJourn al Articles in French and German 96 The Authors The cover design is by K. Komai, Basel, Switzerland. Visible Language, Volume VIII, Number 1, Winter 1974. Published quarterly (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn). Copyright © I 974 by Visible Language, cfo The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio USA 44106. Dr. Merald E. Wrolstad, Editor and Publisher cf o The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, USA 44106. ADVISORY BOARD Colin Banks, Banks and Miles, London Dr. Roland Barthes, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris Fernand Baudin, Bonlez par Grez-Doiceau, Belgium Pieter Brattinga, Form Mediation International, Amsterdam Rev. Edward M. Catich, Saint Ambrose College Dr. Murray Eden, MIT Dr. I.J. Gelb, Oriental Institute, University ofChicago Ephraim Gleichenhaus, ICTA Representative, New York Dr. Kenneth S. Goodman, Wayne State University Dr. Randall P. Harrison, Michigan State University Ernest Hoch, ICOGRADA Representative, Reading University Harry Kamien, Washington, D.C. Albert Kapr, Hochschule fiir Grafik und Buchkunst, Leipzig Alexander Lawson, Rochester Institute for Technology Aaron Marcus, Princeton University R. Hunter Middleton, Chicago Dr. G. W. Ovink, Tetterode-Nederland, Amsterdam Charles Peignot, Paris Dr. Marvin A. Powell,Jr., Northern Illinois University Philippe Schuwer, Librairie Hachette, Paris Mary Ellen Solt, Indiana University Jack W.
    [Show full text]
  • Runes Pdf, Epub, Ebook
    RUNES PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Martin Findell | 112 pages | 24 Mar 2014 | BRITISH MUSEUM PRESS | 9780714180298 | English | London, United Kingdom Runes PDF Book By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice. Runecasting Aspects - When should a rune be read as "reversed" or "merkstave"? If anyone objects to my use of anything on this site, please contact me, and I will take care of it right away. The Uthark theory originally was proposed as a scholarly hypothesis by Sigurd Agrell in Bonfante, The Etruscan Language p. The reduction correlates with phonetic changes when Proto-Norse evolved into Old Norse. Makaev, who presumes a "special runic koine ", an early "literary Germanic" employed by the entire Late Common Germanic linguistic community after the separation of Gothic 2nd to 5th centuries , while the spoken dialects may already have been more diverse. Little is known about the origins of the Runic alphabet, which is traditionally known as futhark after the first six letters. These inscriptions are generally in Elder Futhark , but the set of letter shapes and bindrunes employed is far from standardized. The runes had magical and sacral significance. Notably, more than inscriptions using these runes have been discovered in Bergen since the s, mostly on wooden sticks the so-called Bryggen inscriptions. The names are clearly Gothic, but it is impossible to say whether they are as old as the letters themselves. Nevertheless, it has proven difficult to find unambiguous traces of runic "oracles": although Norse literature is full of references to runes, it nowhere contains specific instructions on divination. History of the alphabet Egyptian hieroglyphs 32 c.
    [Show full text]
  • Runic and Latin Written Culture: Co-Existence and Interaction of Two Script Cultures in the Norwegian Middle Ages
    Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Deutsches Seminar Abteilung für Skandinavistik Magisterarbeit Runic and Latin Written Culture: Co-Existence and Interaction of Two Script Cultures in the Norwegian Middle Ages Eingereicht von Stephanie Elisabeth Baur zur Erlangung des Grades Magistra Artium im Fachbereich Nordische Philologie Eingereicht am: 14. Juni 2011 1. Gutachterin: Prof. Dr. Stefanie Gropper 2. Gutachterin: Prof. Dr. Antje Wischmann TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 CHANGING PERSPECTIVES IN RUNOLOGICAL RESEARCH: A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 6 2.1 Prelude: Medieval Theoretical Treatments of Runes 7 2.2 Early Modern Runological Research 8 2.3 The 19th Century: The Beginnings of Modern Runology 10 2.4 Runological Research in the 20th Century 13 2.5 Paradigmatic Change: From Magic Script to Functional Writing System 14 3 METHOD AND CLASSIFICATION 18 3.1 Some Preliminary Remarks on Runology and Method 18 3.2 Basic Methodological Procedures 19 3.3 Principles for Transliteration 21 3.4 Identification of Runic Inscriptions: The Corpus Editions 24 3.5 Latin Runic Inscriptions 27 3.6 Definition of Terms 28 3.7 The Two-Script Culture of the Norwegian Middle Ages: 30 Establishing the Cultural Background 8 4 TWO SCRIPT SYSTEMS IN CONTACT: LEVELS OF IMPACT 38 4.1 Script System: Changes in the Fuþark 39 4.1.1 Preliminaries: The Concept behind the Viking Age Runes 40 4.1.2 Expansion of the Fuþark: Strategies and Motivation 43 4.1.3 Preliminary Conclusion 55 4.2 Writing Conventions: Consequences for Runic Orthography and Punctuation 57 4.2.1 Preliminaries:
    [Show full text]
  • Ogham Course
    Whispering Woods Ogham Course The Ogham alphabet consists of twenty distinct letters which are known as "feda". They are arranged in four series called aicmí (plural of aicme "family"). Each aicme was named after its first character (Aicme Beithe, Aicme hÚatha, Aicme Muine, Aicme Ailme, or "the B Group", "the H Group", "the M Group" and "the A Group"). The Ogham Tract also gives a variety of around 100 variant or secret modes of writing Ogham (92 in the Book of Ballymote), for example the "Shield Ogham" (ogam airenach, nr. 73). Even the Younger Futhark is introduced as a kind of "Viking Ogham" (nrs. 91, 92). The Druids of yore were said to be very efficient at Ogham writing and signing. Whispering Woods Ogham Course - Lesson One The Ogham "OH-ehm" alphabet is referred to as "beth luis nion". The name represents the names of the first, second, and fifth letters of the Ogham alphabet. The letters themselves consist of one to five perpendicular or angled strokes, meeting or crossing a center line. These letters were often inscribed in wood or stone. The alphabet itself consists of twenty letters and five diphthongs. The first twenty letters are divided into three sets of five consonants and one set of five vowels. The five diphthongs were thought to have been added later to ease the transition from Latin to ancient Irish. There is an understanding that the names of the main twenty letters are also the names of 20 trees which are sacred to the druids. Vowels were sometimes described as a combination of dots.
    [Show full text]
  • LANGUAGE CHANGE in the RUNIC INSCRIPTIONS of DENMARK BETWEEN 500 and 700 by Hans Frede Nielsen
    LANGUAGE CHANGE IN THE RUNIC INSCRIPTIONS OF DENMARK BETWEEN 500 AND 700 by Hans Frede Nielsen Up to around AD 700, the runic inscriptions of Denmark and Scandinavia were carved by means of the 24-letter futhark, which in the course of the early Viking age was replaced by a 16-letter runic alphabet. On several previous occasions I have argued in favour of the basic linguistic unity of the Scandinavian inscriptions up to approximately AD 500, and this is presumably why the organizers of the symposium* where this paper was first presented, kindly asked me to lecture on language change in the runic 24-letter material deriving from the period 500-700, with special reference to the inscriptions attested in Denmark, which in those days encompassed not just present-day Denmark but Slesvig and Skåne, Halland and Blekinge as well. Fortunately, the bracteate legends are not relevant to my presentation on this occasion, even though they may have been produced for up to fifty years after 500. My sense of relief springs not just from numerical considerations – among the over 200 known bracteates carrying runic legends, almost half were discovered in medieval Denmark – but also from the degree of difficulty with which their interpretation is normally associated. I think that Moltke (1985:112-14) is justified in saying that among the Danish runic bracteates only five or six legends are 'intelligible'. The main reason, however, why the runic bracteates are not relevant to our present purposes is that their language is the same as that of the inscriptions from before 500.
    [Show full text]
  • Viking Age and Medieval Writing Traditions
    Runes in changing contexts: Viking Age and medieval writing traditions Magnus Källström The topic of Viking Age and medieval writing traditions is is a huge subject which is im- possible to cover in a short speech during a conference. For that reason I will not try to give a full description of how the runic alphabet was used and developed in different parts of Scandinavia in this period. Instead, I have chosen to focus on a few selected cases, which I hope can shed some light on a couple of interesting issues connected to the long history of the runic script. The development must naturally be seen in a Scandinavian perspective, but since I am most familiar with the runic material from Sweden many of the examples will be taken from this area. Hopefully some of these observations may also contribute to the discussion of the development of the runic script in other parts of Scandinavia. The emergence of the Viking Age runes It is not possible to talk about Viking Age and medieval writing traditions without mentioning anything about the transition from the twenty-four-character futhark to the Viking Age variant with only sixteen signs. As is well known, it is disputed whether the latter emerged as a gradual development of the older system or if it was created in some kind of reform (see e.g. Schulte 2009, Stoklund 2010). Personally I adhere to the idea that it all started as developments within the older futhark, but that the last step, the reduction to sixteen charac- ters, was taken by a single person or a small group of literate people with the ability to spread these new ideas (cf.
    [Show full text]
  • The Development of the Lesser Known Alphabets in European Cultures
    Timothy Snyder Comparative Early Civilizations Professor Patricia Hansell The Development of the Lesser Known Alphabets in European Cultures The Indo-European language family is arguable the most influential language family in the history of the world. If one were to look at how this might be, it is possibly related to the development of the more accurate alphabet in Greece. Other alphabets developed from there, and that probably helped the Romans, which of course passed their alphabet to all of its successors. Eventually, all the colonial powers in Europe used the Roman alphabet, and passed their language and alphabet along with them when they conquered new lands. But what about the lesser known alphabets of Europe? How did they come to be and how did they come to die? I hope to address some of these issues in comparing the shape and development of European alphabets. There are several types of alphabets that were devised in Europe. It is possible to say that most language groups in Europe had their own system. The ones I wish to compare are the major families; Slavic, Italic, Hellenic (Greek), Celtic, and Germanic. I hope to compare these and their origins as a way of showing how early cultures treat, make, and used writing. In Europe there were many different groups of people who developed many different languages from the parent language of Indo-European. However, there was not an alphabetic writing system until the Greeks developed it from Phoenicia. The Phoenicians had developed a system of writing based on Proto- Sinaitic script which takes its influence directly from the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
    [Show full text]