Boustrophedon

Referred Bustrophedon ( in German has the term " agile furrow " naturalized " ox agile " also: Boustrophedon; ; Greek bous " ox " strephein, " contact ", see " verse " meaning " ~ like plowing " Literally ) the style with alternating line by line writing direction from left to right and from right to left.

Text Examples

See boxes.

Examples bustrophedoner writings

In addition to ancient Greek inscriptions from the 6th century BC (before the usual direction of writing was from right to left, after 500 BC continuously from left to right) there are a few too early Etruscan, Latin and runic inscriptions boustrophedon are written.

Not only is the writing direction was flexible in the early epigraphic use, the orientation of the individual letters had not yet been determined generally valid. The " bellies " of the letters were often in the write direction, so that in a line from right to left was a complete mirror-image impression.

An advantage of this snake lines is that the reading flow is not interrupted, because the beginning of the following line immediately below the end of the previous one. In the 19th century William Moon has used this advantage in developing his Moon alphabet, in order to spare blind when scanning the letters with their fingers interlacing.

In the Archaeological Museum of Corfu there is a grave stele with vertical Bustrophedon inscription, called the Arniadas - grave stele.

A well-known example is called the SATOR AREPO Square, also rotas - OPERA - square. It is carved into the wall of the palaestra of Pompeii and was excavated in 1936. The text from the first century, read furrow agile, is " SATOR OPERA TENET AREPO - rotas ".

The picture writing Rongorongo the early Easter Island residents is preserved on carved Toromiro - wooden panels ( 25 examples are preserved). It is read as Bustrophedon, being flipped the reader board after each line read. Reading the beginning is at the bottom left; after turning the second line will read from top left to right, then flipped the board again. The glyphs are therefore compared to the previous line on the head.