Lost Languages

The Enigma of the World's Undeciphered Scripts

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‘A masterly book … Clearly written, dispassionate and entertaining ... will appeal to anyone interested in ancient civilizations and the intricacies of languages and scripts’ Brian Fagan

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Beginning with the stories of three great decipherments – Egyptian hieroglyphs, Minoan Linear B and Mayan glyphs – Lost Languages moves on to dissect the most well-known and enigmatic undeciphered scripts from around the world.

These include the Etruscan alphabet of Italy, the Indus Valley seal script, Rongorongo from remote Easter Island, the Zapotec script of Mexico (probably the first writing system in the Americas), and the unique Phaistos disc of Crete. Lost Languages reports from the front lines of scholarship where obsessions, genius, occasional delusion and sometimes bitter rivalry are de rigueur among those currently competing for the rare honour of cracking these ancient codes – and giving voice to forgotten worlds.
Extent: 352 pp
Format: Paperback
Publication date: 2009-02-16
Size: 23.2 x 18.7 cm
ISBN: 9780500288160
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Press Reviews

Robinson's enthusiasm for the subject is so infectious that you might find youreself trying to crack Etruscan in your spare time
Archaeology

If you hate unsolved mysteries this parade of incomprehensible texts will drive you nuts with frustration. But if you're a wannabe linguist, and perhaps the world's next Michael Ventris, you'll definitely want to read this book
Focus



About the Author

Andrew Robinson is the author of twenty-five books in the arts and sciences, nine of them on aspects of Indian history and culture. They include two definitive biographies: Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye, described by V. S. Naipaul as ‘an extraordinarily good, detailed and selfless book’, and the coauthored Rabindranath Tagore: The Myriad-Minded Man. He holds degrees from Oxford University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, has been a Visiting Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge, and is currently a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society.

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