The Development of Writing

Summary

The video explains the origins and evolution of writing systems during the Bronze Age, focusing on the Sumerians in Mesopotamia and the Egyptians. Sumerian writing began as a logographic system for administrative purposes, evolving into cuneiform, a wedge-shaped script. Egyptian hieroglyphics, on the other hand, developed for monumental art and inscriptions. The video also touches on the Sumerian base-12 counting system, which influenced our time divisions. The contrast between cuneiform and hieroglyphics highlights the different cultural functions of writing in early civilizations.

Takeaways

• 😀 Writing systems emerged during the Bronze Age to meet the needs of complex societies.
• 😀 The earliest writing systems developed in Sumerian cities in southern Mesopotamia (modern-day southern Iraq).
• 😀 Initial writing systems were logographic, meaning each symbol represented a word.
• 😀 Some early writing symbols were pictographic, resembling actual objects (e.g., a symbol for 'water').
• 😀 Not all early symbols were pictographs; some were abstract representations (e.g., the symbol for 'sheep').
• 😀 As the number of symbols grew, memorizing them became inefficient, leading to the evolution of cuneiform.
• 😀 Cuneiform writing was created by pressing wedge-shaped marks into clay tablets using reeds.
• 😀 The Sumerian counting system, based on the number 12, influenced the division of time into hours, minutes, and seconds.
• 😀 Egyptian writing evolved into hieroglyphics, a pictographic system used for monumental art and sculpture.
• 😀 Cuneiform was used mainly for administrative purposes, while Egyptian hieroglyphics had artistic and religious significance.

Q & A

What were some of the main technological advancements during the Bronze Age?

During the Bronze Age, many new technologies were created, including writing systems to support the needs of increasingly complex societies.

Where did writing systems likely first develop?

Writing systems likely first developed in the Sumerian cities of southern Iraq, in southern Mesopotamia.

What was the initial purpose of writing in ancient Mesopotamia?

The initial purpose of writing in ancient Mesopotamia was to help elites control and administer complex transactions, such as tracking tax revenues and produce.

What type of writing system did the early Mesopotamians use?

The early Mesopotamians used a logographic writing system, where each character represented a word, often in pictographic form.

Can you describe the symbol for sheep in the early Mesopotamian writing system?

The symbol for sheep was a circle with a cross in the middle, which was not a picture of a sheep but an abstract symbol.

Why was the logographic writing system inefficient over time?

The logographic system became inefficient because it required memorizing nearly a thousand characters, which was too complex for practical use.

What is cuneiform, and how was it created?

Cuneiform is a writing system that developed from the logographic system. It is wedge-shaped and was created by pushing reeds into wet clay to form characters.

How did the Sumerian counting system influence modern time divisions?

The Sumerian counting system was based on the number 12, which is why we divide our days into two 12-hour blocks, hours into 60 minutes, and minutes into 60 seconds.

How did Egyptian hieroglyphics differ from Mesopotamian cuneiform?

Egyptian hieroglyphics were used for monumental sculpture and artwork, so they needed to be large and artistic, whereas cuneiform was primarily used for administrative purposes on small tablets.

What was the primary use of Egyptian hieroglyphics in ancient Egypt?

The primary use of Egyptian hieroglyphics was for monumental sculpture and paintings, making the writing both large and artistic to complement the artworks.