Rosetta Stone Project: Greece

This past week I had the opportunity to meet with members of the class who, like me, have been researching the role that oral and written traditions have in Greek culture. We discussed the various methods and materials that the Ancient Greeks used in order to record and write down their knowledge in order to help us come up with ways that we could create our own Greek "artifact." 

Papyrus (a form of our modern day paper) was used in Ancient Greece, but the process of letting the product ferment takes weeks and we had limited time. (The fact that the bookstore does not sell papyrus may have played a role in our decision not to use it as well.)

The Linear B Script.

Ancient Greek civilizations are famous for their developments in language and communication. One such civilization is the Mycenaean civilization, which I have researched about in my last couple of blog posts. Originally, only those who held religious authority or political power were taught how to orate properly. It wasn't until philosophers, Socrates and Plato, had popularized speech, that the common Mycenaean people began to use oration as an authoritative and scholastic means of communication. However, Aristotle, a student of Plato, argued that speech was not the only means or even the most important mean of communication. He believed the written language was. 

Basic Linear B syllabary.