Reading and Writing in Babylon

How did the invention of writing in the ancient world change our way of thinking, recording, and remembering forever? In this wide-ranging study, Charpin discusses the place of literacy in the early civilization of Babylonia in the time between 2500 and 500 BC. Writing at this time was used for domestic record keeping, tracking inventory and sales, for inscriptions and tombs, and for communicating with gods. He argues for a much wider spread of literacy than previously thought and explains the historical and social contexts within which literacy proliferated in early Babylon.