Derek Hodgson
Independent scholar
The Deep Foundations of Writing Systems: Neuroarchaeology, Neurorecycling, and Pattern Perception
Abstract
Writing systems are considered to be purely cultural. Recent neuroimaging research, however, suggests a more nuanced scenario, especially as a specific brain region of the visual cortex has been found to be common to all writing systems. Neurorecycling of evolutionary defined cortical networks is now thought to be key to understanding such universality. Thanks to important archaeological discoveries over the past two decades, the beginning of that process can be traced to a series of inaugural engraved patterns predating the arrival of anatomically modern humans. In this presentation, the relevance of the precursors to the first writing systems will be explored from the perspective of the early visual cortex and archaeology, which can shed light on how fully-fledged writing emerged.
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