NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—On May 30 and 31, the Confucius Institute at Rutgers University will be holding its first international conference on the topic of the four earliest writing systems: Chinese, Sumerian, Egyptian, and Mesoamerican.

Since the Confucius Institute, which is the school for Chinese language and cultural studies at Rutgers University, is hosting the conference there will be a greater amount of emphasis on the Chinese writing systems, but the theme of the conference is to educate on the dialogue between the Chinese writing systems and the other ancient systems of communication.

The conference will consist of a plethora of guest speakers from colleges all over the United States including Rutgers as well as people other nations, who will speak on these various topics: The Sumerian and Cuneiform Writing Systems, the Egyptian Hieroglyphic Writing System, and Olmec/ Mayan Writing System, and finally Oracle Bone Inscription as well as Archaic Chinese.

The weekend will also consist of plenty of discussions and panelists so that attendees will be able to attend panels and discussions that most appeal to them.

The conference will be held at the Rutgers University Inn and Conference Center located at 178 Ryders Lane, on Douglass Campus.

Registration opens at 8am on Saturday, May 30 with the conference officially commencing at 9am.  The final panel of the conference will end by Sunday May 31st at 2:30pm.

Free parking will be available on Douglass Campus for all Conference attendees at lots 74A and 82.