Language and Cosmos in Greece and Mesopotamia by Jacobo Myerston

Language and Cosmos in Greece and Mesopotamia by Jacobo Myerston

Theorizing about language and its place in the world began long before Plato and Aristotle. In this book, Jacobo Myerston traces the trajectories of various proto-linguistic traditions that circulated between Greece and Mesopotamia before the institutionalization of Greek philosophy. By following the threads of transcultural conversations, the author shows the impact of Mesopotamian semantics and hermeneutics on early Greek thinkers. He reconstructs the Greek appropriation of Mesopotamian semantics while arguing that, despite geographical distance and cultural constraints, the Greeks adopted and transformed Babylonian cosmological and linguistic concepts in a process leading to new discoveries. This book covers conceptions of signification present in cuneiform word lists, esoteric syllabaries, commentaries, literary texts like Enuma elish, Gilgamesh, Hesiod's Theogony, and the Homeric Hymns as well as the philosophical commentary preserved in the Derveni papyrus.

'I hold this book in high regard for its innovative approachIt ventures beyond the territory of Babylonian-Greek cultural exchanges to chart the journey of a singular idea across these two civilizations. This approach not only uncovers shared interests and similar ways of engaging with these interests across cultural variations but also illuminates the often-neglected field of language theory in Assyriology. This exploration is enlightening and engaging, suggesting that applying similar methodologies to other concepts and theories could reveal further commonalities between ancient cultures.' Lucrezia Menicatti, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

JACOBO MYERSTON is an Assistant Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature at the University of California, San Diego.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781009289924
ISBN 10	1009289926
Title	Language and Cosmos in Greece and Mesopotamia
Author	Jacobo Myerston
Condition	Unavailable
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Year published	2023-04-06
Number of pages	228
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable