Ildar Garipzanov. Graphic Signs of Authority in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, 300–900

Graphic Signs of Authority in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, 300–900 is an original and important book that is deeply researched, clearly written, lavishly illustrated (it had to be, or else the text would have been impossible to follow for all its visual references), and addressed to readers in several academic disciplines. The book is densely detailed, which makes for interesting but challenging reading. Ildar Garipzanov could have laid out more signposts to keep his readers oriented. I actually would recommend starting with the excellent conclusion (313–320). “Graphicacy,” says Garipzanov, is “a form of communication, related to the graphic visualization of information based on the capacity of human perception to process object-like signs and symbols . . . as proxies for concepts and abstract thought” (7–8). The capacity, he says, is universal, but the specifics are historical. Signs are intermediate between words and images, sharing elements of both. The...

Ancient history · Art · Epistemology · Late Antiquity · Linguistics · Middle Ages · Object (grammar) · Perception · Process (computing) · Programming language · Reading (process) · Visual arts · Artificial Intelligence · Chinese history and philosophy · Classics · Computer Science · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History · Philosophy