Historia de la literatura PARTE 1: El origen de las letras

Mohamed Davila

23 Mar 202210:55

Summary

TLDRThis script explores the evolution of writing from its earliest forms to the development of literature. It highlights that only 84% of the world's population can read and write, emphasizing the importance of literature in all its forms. The journey from pictographs to cuneiform is detailed, showcasing how early civilizations like Mesopotamia and Egypt contributed to the birth of writing systems. The script also touches on the rise of the first alphabets and the expansion of literature in ancient Greece and Rome, setting the stage for future discussions on literary movements.

Takeaways

📚 Only 84% of the world's population can read and write according to UNESCO's 2017 report, emphasizing the importance of literacy.
🌐 Literature is essential for humanity, regardless of its form, from poetry to scientific articles and social media posts.
📈 The number of books published annually is increasing, making it impossible to read all works published in just a few years.
🎨 Early forms of communication included pictographs and petroglyphs, which were simplified to represent complex ideas more efficiently.
🔄 The transition from pictographs to proto-writing, like the Vinča script and the Tartaria tablets, marked a step towards more abstract representation.
🏺 The Sumerians developed the first true writing system, cuneiform, around 3000 BCE, to record trade and commerce.
📜 The invention of writing allowed for the preservation of culture and history, moving from prehistory to recorded history.
📘 Literature emerged alongside writing, with the Sumerians recording not just commerce but also cultural legends like the Epic of Gilgamesh.
🔤 The development of the Phoenician consonantal alphabet led to the Greek alphabet, which included vowels and was a complete writing system.
🌟 The Greek alphabet's ability to be learned and pronounced without prior knowledge of the spoken language was revolutionary.
🏛 The absorption of Greek culture by the Roman Empire spread literature and led to the Latin alphabet, the basis for many modern Romance languages.

Q & A

What percentage of the world's population is literate according to UNESCO's 2017 report?
-According to the UNESCO report from 2017, 84% of the world's population is literate.
Why is literature considered indispensable to humanity?
-Literature is considered indispensable to humanity because it serves as a means to communicate knowledge and ideas, and it is essential for preserving culture and history over time.
How has the number of books published annually been trending?
-The number of books published annually has been increasing, indicating a growing interest in literature and written content.
What is the significance of the transition from oral tradition to written records in early human history?
-The transition from oral tradition to written records allowed for the preservation of information beyond memory, enabling the transmission and preservation of culture and knowledge across generations.
What is meant by 'pictographic writing' and how did it simplify the representation of reality?
-Pictographic writing is a form of writing where each symbol represents an object or concept. It simplified the representation of reality by reducing complex images to their most distinctive features, making it easier to depict and understand.
What is 'proto-writing' and how does it differ from pictographic writing?
-Proto-writing refers to a stage where symbols start to represent more abstract concepts and actions, but it still requires knowledge of the symbol's meaning as it cannot be deduced by common sense alone, unlike the more straightforward representations in pictographic writing.
How did the development of writing systems contribute to the rise of literature and recorded history?
-The development of writing systems allowed for the recording of not just commercial and mathematical records but also cultural legends, historical accounts, and personal narratives, which collectively form the basis of literature and recorded history.
What is the significance of the Sumerian 'proto-cuneiform' writing system in the history of writing?
-The Sumerian proto-cuneiform writing system is significant as it represents one of the earliest forms of writing that could record complex transactions and was the precursor to cuneiform, which became a major writing system in the ancient Near East.
How did the Greeks contribute to the development of literature and the concept of the writer's profession?
-The Greeks contributed to the development of literature by elevating the status of poets and writers, creating new literary forms such as essays, and expanding on themes like philosophy. They also formalized literary genres and classifications.
What is the connection between the development of the Greek alphabet and the ability to learn languages?
-The Greek alphabet was the first to include both consonants and vowels, making it possible to learn a language through reading and writing without prior spoken knowledge, which was a revolutionary development in language learning and literacy.
How did the Roman Empire's use of the Latin alphabet influence the spread of literature and languages?
-The Roman Empire's use of the Latin alphabet facilitated the spread of literature and languages across its vast territories, leading to the development of the Romance languages that are derived from Latin, such as Spanish, French, and Italian.

Outlines

00:00

📜 The Evolution of Writing and Its Impact on Humanity

The paragraph discusses the significance of literacy, highlighting that only 84% of the world's population can read and write according to UNESCO's 2017 report. It emphasizes the importance of literature in various forms, from poetry to shopping lists, as a means of communication and preservation of knowledge. The script then delves into the history of writing, starting with prehistoric times when pictographs were used to convey information. It explains the evolution from pictographs to ideograms and the development of proto-writing, such as the Vinča script and the Tartaria tablets. The paragraph also touches on the Sumerian invention of cuneiform, which marked the end of prehistory and the beginning of recorded history, allowing humans to document their culture and history.

05:01

🌐 The Spread of Writing Systems and the Birth of Literature

This paragraph explores the spread of writing systems like cuneiform and how they were adapted by different languages, such as Hittite and Sumerian. It contrasts this with the independent development of Egyptian hieroglyphs and Chinese characters. The paragraph also discusses the emergence of literature alongside writing, with the Sumerians recording not only commercial and mathematical records but also cultural legends like the Epic of Gilgamesh. It notes the absence of a distinct writer profession at the time, with scribes responsible for transcribing texts. The paragraph further covers the development of the first alphabets, the Phoenician and the Proto-Canaanite, and how these led to the Greek alphabet, which was the first complete alphabet with both consonants and vowels. The Greek alphabet's decipherment through the Rosetta Stone is also mentioned, highlighting its role in understanding ancient languages.

10:01

🏛️ The Flourishing of Literature in the Greco-Roman Era

The final paragraph focuses on the flourishing of literature during the Greco-Roman period, where literature became formalized and diverse. It discusses the prestige given to poets and the emergence of new literary forms like essays and philosophical treatises. The paragraph mentions the first classification of literary genres by Aristotle, including lyric, narrative, and dramatic genres, with the addition of didactic genres in modern times. The absorption of Greek culture by the Roman Empire led to the spread of literature and the Latin alphabet, which in turn gave birth to the Romance languages. The paragraph concludes by setting the stage for the next part of the video, which will explore literary movements in more depth.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Literature

Literature refers to the body of written works, including novels, poetry, and plays. In the video, literature is highlighted as indispensable to humanity, transcending various forms such as lyrical, narrative, prose, or verse. It serves as a means to communicate knowledge and ideas, and to preserve them over time, even in a world dominated by social media and audiovisual content.

💡UNESCO

UNESCO stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The video references a UNESCO report from 2017, which indicates that only 84% of the world's population can read and write, underscoring the importance of literacy and the role of literature in education and cultural preservation.

💡Pictographs

Pictographs are a form of early writing that uses pictures to represent words or concepts. The video discusses how early humans used pictographs, such as drawings of a hand holding a spear or a buffalo's head, to convey complex ideas and actions, marking a significant step towards the development of writing systems.

💡Proto-writing

Proto-writing refers to early forms of communication that exhibit some characteristics of writing but are not fully developed writing systems. The video mentions proto-writing as a stage where symbols became more complex and abstract, requiring knowledge of their meanings to understand the conveyed information, which was a precursor to true writing systems.

💡Cuneiform

Cuneiform is one of the earliest systems of writing, developed by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia around 3000 BCE. The video explains that cuneiform involved impressing wedge-shaped marks onto clay tablets using a reed stylus, which was crucial for recording trade and administrative transactions, thus marking a significant advancement in written communication.

💡Hieroglyphs

Hieroglyphs are a form of writing that uses pictorial symbols to represent words or ideas. The video notes that hieroglyphs, like those used in ancient Egypt and Crete, were developed around the same time as cuneiform and were used for recording religious texts, historical events, and monumental inscriptions.

💡Alphabet

An alphabet is a set of letters, each representing a sound in a language. The video discusses the development of the Phoenician alphabet, which was a consonantal alphabet that laid the foundation for the Greek alphabet and eventually all modern alphabets, including the Latin alphabet from which many European languages, such as Spanish, French, and Italian, are derived.

💡Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone is a granodiorite stele discovered in 1799 that played a key role in deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs. The video highlights the Rosetta Stone as a crucial artifact that allowed scholars to translate ancient texts, as it presented the same decree in three scripts: hieroglyphic, demotic, and ancient Greek.

💡Literary genres

Literary genres are categories of literature based on form, style, or subject matter. The video references Aristotle's classification of genres into lyric, narrative, and dramatic, which has since expanded to include didactic genres and various sub-genres, reflecting the growth and diversification of literature.

💡Sumerians

The Sumerians were one of the earliest civilizations in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia. The video discusses the Sumerians' significant contributions to the development of writing and literature, including the creation of cuneiform and the recording of cultural legends such as the Epic of Gilgamesh.

💡Epic of Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient Mesopotamian poem that dates back to around 2100 BCE. The video mentions it as one of the earliest known works of literature, which includes themes of heroism, friendship, and the quest for immortality, and is significant for its narrative structure and cultural impact.

Highlights

Only 84% of the world's population can read and write according to UNESCO's 2017 report.

Literature is indispensable for humanity, regardless of its form.

Writing is one of the best ways to communicate knowledge and ideas and to preserve them over time.

The number of books published increases every year, and it would be impossible to read them all even dedicating a lifetime.

In the early days of humanity, it was understood that information needed to be recorded beyond oral tradition.

Pictographs, or petroglyphs, were an early form of representing reality for preservation.

Pictographic writing evolved into proto-writing, where symbols represented specific meanings and were more simplified.

Proto-writing, such as the Vinča script and Tartaria tablets, is considered a precursor to formal writing systems.

The Sumerians developed the first true writing system, cuneiform, around 3000-3500 BCE, to record detailed trade transactions.

Cuneiform writing used a stylus on clay tablets, which was an early form of a writing tool.

The development of writing systems allowed for the preservation of culture and history through written records.

The Sumerians recorded not only commercial and mathematical records but also cultural legends, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The profession of a writer did not exist as we know it today; instead, there were scribes who transcribed texts.

The Phoenician and Proto-Canaanite alphabets were consonantal, representing a significant step towards phonetic writing systems.

The Greek alphabet, which included both consonants and vowels, was a revolutionary development in writing systems.

The Rosetta Stone, with its trilingual inscription, was crucial for deciphering ancient Egyptian and other languages.

The expansion of Greek culture through the Roman Empire led to the spread of literature and the Latin alphabet.

The Latin alphabet gave rise to the Romance languages, which are easier to learn due to their shared linguistic roots.

The establishment of formal literature and the beginning of significant literary movements occurred during the Greco-Roman period.