The Phenomenon of a Particular Account in the Ancient Near East in the Light of the Evolution of Mental Activity
The article addresses of the problem specific account in the Ancient Near East, set an American researcher D. Schmandt-Besserat. Considering the evolution of the oldest systems of the account, the author reveals its similarity to the evolution of the account by children. On the basis of typological similarities the author reconstructs the evolution of consciousness that led to the emergence of abstract counting, letters, and eventually, conceptual thinking.