Edward Clodd Collection

Development of the English alphabet. The Old Greek alphabet derived from Phoenician and was in use by 900-800 BC. A western variant, known as the Euboean or Cumae alphabet

Pictographs and linear script symbols. The British archaeologist Arthur Evans (1851-1941) found thousands of clay tablets dating from the second millennium BC at Knossos, Crete

Egyptian and Assyrian counting systems. Early methods of number counting involved the use of fingers, while early written records used strokes to indicate numbers

Thomas Henry Huxley, English biologist, 1883. Huxley (1825-1895) was a prominent supporter of Darwin in the controversy that raged over his theory of evolution in the 19th century

Performance of early folk English games and mumming at the soiree of the Folklore Congress, Mercers Hall, Cheapside
5216762 Performance of early folk English games and mumming at the soiree of the Folklore Congress, Mercers Hall, Cheapside, London, 1891 (engraving) by English School

Alfred Russell Wallace, Welsh-born British naturalist, c1900. Wallace (1823-1913) independently arrived at a theory of evolution similar to that of Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Table comparing ancient scripts. Table based on an 1859 work by French egyptologist Emmanuel de Rouge (1811-1872), comparing eleven types of related ancient and modern scripts

Egyptian scarabs and Cretan seal-stones. Coloured image of an illustration by the British archaeologist Arthur Evans (1851-1941)

Linear script symbols arranged in groups of two or more. Whilst excavating Knossos, the British archaeologist Arthur Evans (1851-1941) found three forms of writing which he defined as Minoan

Development of Arabic numerals. Table illustrating the development and spread of numerals from the 1st to 14th centuries AD

Cretan symbols, 5th to 6th centuries BC
Cretan symbols. Coloured illustration from a diagram by the British archaeologist Arthur Evans (1851-1941). This diagram was based on artefacts dating from the 6th to 5th centuries BC

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Edward Clodd: Pioneering Scholar in the Study of Ancient Scripts and Early English Alphabet Development Edward Clodd (1840-1930), an English antiquarian and folklorist, made significant strides in the fields of linguistics, archaeology, and anthropology. His groundbreaking research focused on the development of the English alphabet, Egyptian and Assyrian counting systems, and the performance of early folk English games and mumming at the soiree of the Folklore Congress in 1891. Clodd's work intersected with the scientific community of his time, including Thomas Henry Huxley, the renowned English biologist, and Alfred Russell Wallace, the Welsh-born British naturalist. Together, they compared ancient scripts, such as Egyptian hieroglyphs and Cretan symbols, and deciphered the significance of pictographs and linear script symbols. Clodd's fascination with ancient numerals led him to study the development of Arabic numerals and their influence on mathematics. He also delved into the history of Egyptian scarabs and Cretan seal-stones, unraveling their cryptic meanings and contributing to the understanding of early writing systems. Through his meticulous research and scholarly pursuits, Edward Clodd left an indelible mark on the study of ancient scripts and languages, paving the way for future discoveries and advancements in the fields of archaeology, linguistics, and anthropology.