The Earliest Forms of Writing, A Better Understanding of History Writing is a key root in the history that we learn today. It serves as a very useful translator for historians. This is made possible as historians can use the first forms of writing-which derive from 3,500 BCE, to serve as a direct source of hearing a point of view from a witness of that time period. Writing began with pictographs, and emerged onto cuneiform, hieroglyphics, ideograms, and phonograms that were carried out by scribes. Writing served its purpose of developing a way to document trades and business accounts, cultural practices- especially those of religion, and government issues and orders. Writing of the past cultures serves as an essential factor in understanding the previous cultures, as the earliest forms of writing can indicate events of their causes, but what is left unsaid, can be interpreted as something which has derived from an earlier period of time. The different forms of writing display what the people’s values, needs, and expectations once were. Understanding history is much more clear as artifacts portray actual documentations of earlier cultures. The first form of writing, cuneiform, was a system of symbols that was used by Sumerians in order to represent and somewhat describe the type and amounts of goods traded. Cuneiform was simply a form of symbols, therefore it was a very vague description, but it served the purpose of establishing a form of documentation which was needed by
As stated in document number one, Sumerians created cuneiform script over 5000 years ago. It was written on clay tablets, then baked hard in a kiln, according to document one. Cuneiform was created to track business dealings, keep records, and pass down ideas easily. Cuneiform was the world’s first written language, so you can see how this provided for future civilizations.
Mesopotamian Civilizations contributed massively to the development for future civilizations. To begin, the Sumerians created the first written language. Cuneiform was the writing system to keep track of business dealings when it comes to trading with the people who lived in lands that were thousands of miles away. Cuneiform also kept records and allowed new ideas to be passed from generation to generation (Doc 1). Cuneiform is developed from pictographs that were sideways and used
A key strength of Waltke’s article is his use of diverse cultures, spanning over the course of history, to prove that societies in different eras with different values and systems highly regarded written records over the uncertainty of oral tradition. By using an array of cultures and evaluating their use of writing and oral tradition, Waltke seeks to rightly handle the available evidence. He displays cultures that not only prioritized written record, but also those who did have more an emphasis on oral tradition, like the Ugarits, yet still regarded written records as something of great worth. Waltke builds his credibility with readers because of his diverse use of sources and how he handles them to ultimately support his
Did you know that the ancient Mesopotamian created cuneiform? Cuneiform was the first form of writing. It was created over 5000 years ago! Mesopotamians created Cuneiform to make trading deals. You might think in your head, why don’t they just remember it? Well, that is because if they traded a year from now the people could lie and get more of their
The first form of writing was created by Sumerians 5,000 years ago called Cuneiform (Document 1). Sumerians used this writing system to keep track of business dealings because they traded with people who lived in lands that were hundreds and even thousands of miles away (Doc. 2). With a written language, ideas could be shared from generation to generation (Doc. 1). To write in cuneiform somebody would need to acquire a clay tablet, then bake it hard in a kiln (Doc. 1). If cuneiform had not been created, there may have not been written languages in the
In Ancient China, they developed a writing system for preservation. In China, people would use logograms, which are symbols that represent a word or a meaning.In the early days of the ancient Chinese civilization, people would write on oracle bone or tortoise shell.In Ancient India, writing systems were developed for recording data and information. The Indus script used signs and words and it was written from right to left. By 1800 BCE, the Indus valley civilizations started to fall and writing were often used anymore. Ancient Egyptians started to developed a writing system called, hieroglyphics because they needed a way to record important information. They believed that recording data and communicate information about government and religion was essential. Scribes were only ones to write in hieroglyphics and were written from left to right or top to bottom. In Mesopotamia, people started developing a writing system to information. Mesopotamia created a writing system called, cuneiform. Mesopotamian scribes would record important dates and event, and position of the stars. These ancient civilizations started to create their own writing system to record history and communicate information.
Cuneiform not only allowed records to be kept but, it also allowed thoughts and ideas to be written down. Around 1754 bc a new ruler, Hammurabi, conquered Mesopotamia and decided to set permanent laws. He wrote the laws on stone and placed the stone in the middle of the
In Mesopotamia, people had no money so they traded barley, pottery, fish, and other foods and inventions they made. They needed a way to keep up with what they traded, so Sumerians created the first form of writing over 5000 years ago which they called Cuneiform. They used Cuneiform for business dealings such as trading barley, keeping records, and new ideas changed between different generations.
However, the act of interacting with the spiritual world was impossible without the early uses of writing. The initial early uses of writing were to record religious ideas and events that had taken place. Some examples of the first early uses of writing were seen in the oracle-bone inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty, the ritual bronze inscriptions in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and the metal bound box during the Zhou dynasty. The need for record keeping and procedures for religious performance resulted in a large necessitation of literacy to continue these practices, especially for individuals of higher social standings.
To start, the Sumerians invented cuneiform, which began the path to written language in the future. Cuneiform was the first written language. It was invented over 5000 years ago! (Doc. 1). They used a stylus to make imprints for writing. Written on the clay tablets it was used to keep records, document business
Written works are creative displays of human thoughts. Unlikely stories have captivatedaudiences that transcend generations. Essays have enlightened people and even sparked revolutions.Normal everyday writing has played a vital part in understanding the past, captivating the present, andshaping the future.Writing has been able to fill in the gaps of history. By analyzing primary sources such as old letters, andjournal entries, historians have been able to take note of details in particular time periods. Letters suchas Mary F’s letter (Source E) to her cousin provide specific details on the life of someone living on theprairie in 1863. The failure to preserve common writing, despite their simplicity, would cause history tolack perspective.Today
Cuneiform is considered the most significant among the many cultural contributions of the Sumerians. Cuneiform writing is traced back from c. 3500 - 3000 BC. The writing wasn 't first actually words. They used pictographs for writing in their records. Instead of writing letters “s-u-n”, a Sumerian would imprint a pictograph of what they had as a sun on a clay tablet. Also,
To begin, the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia introduced the first forms of written language-Cuneiform. The beginning of writing was an essential tool that transferred thoughts and speech into text. It was extremely important and allowed for the beginning of record keeping of all sorts. “At this point, writing was used only for record keeping, and thus only concrete words(nouns) such as “ox”,”grain” and “sheep” were needed. As society became more complex, the language evolved enabling signs to be used…and eventually abstract thoughts “(Newman 44). The world came to know a unique way of expressing thoughts and learned to convey messages through writing. From then on, records could be kept, history and stories could be recorded and abstract thinking could shine
Discovery of clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform proved that the Mesopotamian civilization were able to communicate through written pictures and stylized signs, this was used for purpose of record keeping and schools to teach cuneiform.
Is the development of the writing system the most important factor that led to the rise of a civilization? How does our ancestor learned to write when school is not even available? Understand that writing system that I am referring is not the average of using tools such as ink and paper, but more of creative tool that has developed over time. In this essay, I will cover seven points on the importantance of a writing system in the ancient civilization.