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Boustrophedon or boustrephedon is an ancient way of writing manuscripts and other inscriptions in which, rather than going from left to right as in modern English, or right to left as in Arabic, alternate lines must be read in opposite directions. The name is borrowed from the Greek language. Its etymology is from βους, "ox" + στρεφειν, "to turn" (cf. strophe), because the hand of the writer goes back and forth like an ox drawing a plow across a field and turning at the end of each row to return in the opposite direction.
Many ancient scripts of the Mediterranean were frequently or typically written boustrophedon, but in Greek it is found most commonly on pre-historic and archaic inscriptions, becoming less and less popular throughout the Hellenic period.
The wooden boards and other incised artifacts of Rapa Nui also bear a boustrophedonic script called Rongorongo, which still remains undeciphered. In Rongorongo the text in alternate lines was rotated 180 degrees rather than mirrored; this is termed reverse boustrophedon.
By analogy, the term may be used in other areas to describe this kind of alternation of motion or writing.
For example, it is occasionally used to describe the print head motion of certain dot matrix computer printers. In that case, while the print head moves in opposite directions on alternate lines, the printed text is not in boustrophedon format. See also the corresponding entry * in the Jargon File of hacker slang.
Perhaps the most important example of boustrophedonics is the numbering scheme of sections within survey townships in the United States and Canada. In both countries, survey townships are divided into a 6-by-6 grid of 36 sections. In the US Public Land Survey System, Section 1 of a township is in the northeast corner, and the numbering proceeds boustrophedonically until Section 36 is reached in the southeast corner. Canada's Dominion Land Survey also uses boustrophedonic numbering, but starts at the southeast corner.
Another example is the boustrophedon transform, known in mathematics.
Magic square graffito, Christian, Pompeii
The 79 CE destruction of the Italian city of Pompeii, left one of humanity’s greatest historical records, a complete city, preserved under the protective blanket of ash. Since the unearthing of Pompeii, starting in 1748 CE, the Magic square graffito is one of the intriquing discoveries, (found inscribed onto a pillar). The Square is composed of ( 3 ) Latin words and must be read Boustrophedon, (back and forth, reversing directions, re-reading middle line). Each side thus offers one starting point, the ending point, being the other corner on the same starting side. There are therefore ( 4 ) starting points, one per side.
The square reads as follows (boustrophedon):
- R...O...T...A...S
- O...P...E...R...A
- T...E...N...E...T
- A...R...E...P...O
- S...A...T...O...R
- Magic square from article: Graffito (archaeology).
See also
External links
References
- Ceram, C.W. The March of Archaeology, C.W.Ceram, translated from the German, Richard and Clara Winston, (Alfred A. Knopf, New York), c 1958.
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"Boustrophedon"