May 30Ͳ31, 2015

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON

The Chinese Writing System and Its CONFERENCE SPEAKERS Dialogue with Sumerian, Egyptian, and Sumerian, Cuneiform WriƟ ng System Oracle Bone InscripƟ on and Gong, Yushu (Peking University) Archaic Chinese Mesoamerican Writing Systems Jones, Philip (University of Pennsylvania Chen, Kuang Yu (Rutgers University) Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology) Huang, Yaping (Shandong University) Schmandt-Besserat, Denise (The University of Hwang, Mingchorng (Academia Sinica, Taipei) Texas at Aus n) Smith, Jonathan (Christopher Newport University) Ilona Zsolnay (University of Pennsylvania Song, Zhenhao (Ins tute of History, Chinese Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology) Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing) Wang, Hui (Shaanxi Normal University) EgypƟ an Hieroglyphic WriƟ ng System Wang, Yunzhi (Paleographic Center, Henan Chen, Yongsheng (Brown University) University) Darnell, John (Yale University) Depuydt, Leo (Brown University) Panelists and Discussants Roberson, Joshua A. (Camden College Allan, Sarah (Dartmouth College) and University of Pennsylvania Museum of Ning, Xin (Jilin University) Archaeology and Anthropology) Schwartz, Adam (New York University) Simmons, Richard (Rutgers University) Olmec/Maya WriƟ ng System Tu, Ching-I (Rutgers University) Carrasco, Michael D. (Florida State University) Tschanz, Dietrich (Rutgers University) Chinchilla Mazariegos, Oswaldo (Yale University) Rossi, Franco and Saturno, William (Boston Organizing CommiƩ ee University) Chen, Kuang Yu (Rutgers University) Mora Marin, David (University of North Carolina) Gong, Yushu (Peiking University) Zhang, He (William Paterson) Tschanz, Dietrich (Rutgers University) Tu, Ching-I (Rutgers University) MAY 30ͳ31, 2015

Rutgers University Inn and Conference Center SPONSORED BY 178 Ryders Lane Confucius Institute of Rutgers University (CIRU) Douglass Campus, Rutgers University Ofﬁ ce of the Executive Vice President for New Brunswick, NJ Academic Affairs Dean’s Ofﬁ ce, School of Arts and Sciences FRIDAY MAY 29, 2015 Panel 4 Social and Cultural Context in the FormaƟ on of WriƟ ng ParƟ cipants check in at the Rutgers Inn and Conference Center. Moderator: Richard Simmons (Rutgers University) (3:10-5:40)

SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015 David Mora Marin (University of North Carolina) 8:00-9:00 The Social and Cultural Context of Early Mayan Wri ng and the Development of Logographic and RegistraƟ on and Refreshments Logosyllabic Spelling Prac ces Yaping Huang (Shandong University) 9:00-9:20 The Study of the Social Context of Literacy on the Oracle Bone Inscrip on in Shang Dynasty Welcome and IntroducƟ on Ching-I Tu, Director, Confucius InsƟ tute of Rutgers University (CIRU) Mingchorng Hwang (Academia Sinica, Taipei) Rethinking the Origin of Chinese Wri ng: Gene, Ethnic Groups, and Wri ng Systems Opening Remarks Jonathan Smith (Christopher Newport University) Kuang Yu Chen, Rutgers University Wri ng Time: The Luni-Stellar Solu on to the Origins of the Chinese Sexagenary Cycle, and the Problem of Indigeneity Panel I Theorizing WriƟ ng and WriƟ ng Systems Moderator: Sarah Allan (Dartmouth College) (9:20 – 10:50) John Darnell (Yale University) Illustrated Rocks and Illuminated Bodies: the Ritual Cosmographic Precursors of Egyp an Wri ng Leo Depuydt (Brown University) The Scien fi c Theory of Egyp an Hieroglyphic Wri ng in Boole’s, Saussure’s, ------Recep on and Dinner (6:00-8:00)------§ and Maxwell’s Footsteps SUNDAY MAY 31, 2015 Michael D. Carrasco (Florida State University) Conven ons and Linguis c Tropes in Olmec Art and Wri ng Panel 5 Archeology and the Origin of WriƟ ng Systems Moderator: Richard Simmons (Rutgers University) (9:00-10:30) Ilona Zsolnay (University of Pennsylvania) WriƟ ng, What was it Good for? An InvesƟ gaƟ on into Intent William A. Saturno and Franco Rossi (Boston University) An Archeology of Early Maya Wri ng ------Coff ee Break (10:50-11:00)------§ Yushu Gong (Peking University) Panel 2 Probing Origins of WriƟ ng Principles for Crea ng Signs Used in Ancient Wri ng Systems from Sumer, Egypt and China Moderator: Ching-I Tu (Rutgers University) (11:00 – 12:30) Kuang Yu Chen (Rutgers University) A Model for Da ng the Genesis of the Chinese Wri ng System: Comparison with Other First Wri ngs Denise Schmandt-Besserat (The University of Texas at AusƟ n) Wri ng a er Accoun ng in the Ancient Near East ------Coff ee Break (10:30-10:40)------§

Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos (Yale University) Panel 6 TransformaƟ on, Obsolecence, and Cataloguing A Compara ve Approach to the Origin of Wri ng in Mesoamerica Moderator: Xin Ning (Jilin University) (10:40-12:10)

Hui Wang (Shaanxi Normal University) Zhenhao Song (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing) Methodology for Da ng the Origin of Chinese Wri ng System Oracle Bone Inscrip ons: Recent Work on Cataloguing Philip Jones (University of Pennsylvania) ------Lunch (12:30-1:30)------§ The Beginning of the End: Longer Term Perspec ves on the Decline of Cuneiform in First Millennium BCE Babylonia Pane 3 Proto-wriƟ ngs, Art and Symbols Moderator: Tschanz, Dietrich (Rutgers University) (1:30-3:00) Joshua A. Roberson (University of Pennsylvania) Whose Error, Anyway? Non-Standard Orthography, Cryptography, and the Transmission of Texts: The Wang Yunzhi (Henan University) Case of the Egyp an Underworld Books Chinese Wri ng System Occurred in the Yellow River Basin ------Lunch (12:20-1:20) ------§ He Zhang (William Paterson University) Iden ﬁ ca on of a Group of Olmec Jade Designs Panel 7 Overview and Discussion (1:30-2:30) Yongsheng Chen (Brown University) Panelists: Zhenhao Song, Sarah Allan, David Mora Marin, Michael Carrasco, Philip Jones, Ilona Zsolnay, A Compara ve Study of the Determina ve in Egyp an and Chinese Joshua Roberson, Leo Depuydt, Adam Schwartz

------Coﬀ ee Break (3:00-3:10)------§