Inventing the Alphabet: The Origins of Letters from Antiquity to the Present

The alphabet is our common writing system, but few pause to consider its origin or history. Remarkably, this set of signs that developed four thousand years ago now undergirds the Internet and global systems of communication. Tracking the alphabet provides a study in transmission of knowledge. This talk addresses the ways the understanding of the alphabet has changed over time.
Reception & book signing to follow lecture: 5:30-6:30 P.M. in the Chazen lobby. The event is free; the public welcome.