This volume reconsiders the question of literacy and communication in pre-modern societies from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Methodologically, its authors rely on the assumption that not only the content of a specific message, but also its material form and outlook effect the way in which textual artefacts are understood and interpreted by their individual readers or beholders. Furthermore, writers consciously and at times unconsciously design texts by applying different writing surfaces, writing implements or layouts.
The volume includes examples from the Ancient Orient,...

How does one define and explore the -material presence of the written in non-typographical cultures?- The interdisciplinary and collaborative essays in this handbook present theoretical principles, describe text-bearing materials and objects, and investigate the diverse practices related to text-bearing artifacts. The analysis is illustrated with examples drawn from a period of over 4,500 years.