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Sumerian cuneiform is the earliest known writing system. Its origins can be traced back to about 8,000 BC and it developed from the pictographs and other symbols used to represent trade goods and livestock on clay tablets. Originally the Sumerians made small tokens out of clay to represent the items. The tokens were kept together in sealed clay ...
Nov 17, 2022 · Cuneiform is a system of writing first developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia c. 3500 BCE. It is considered the most significant among the many cultural contributions of the Sumerians and the greatest among those of the Sumerian city of Uruk, which advanced the writing of cuneiform c. 3200 BCE and allowed for the creation of literature.
- Joshua J. Mark
- Is cuneiform the first written language?Yes. Cuneiform predates any other written language including Egyptian hieroglyphics or Chinese script. It is possible that the script of the Indus...
- What does cuneiform mean?The word cuneiform comes from the Latin "cuneus", meaning "wedge", and was coined in reference to the wedge-like shapes of the characters of the wr...
- When was cuneiform first deciphered?Cuneiform was first deciphered c. 1823.
- Why is cuneiform important?Cuneiform is important because it opened up ancient Mesopotamian history for the modern age in the same way the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyph...
Cuneiform is the earliest known writing system and was originally developed to write the Sumerian language of southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). Over the course of its history, cuneiform was adapted to write a number of languages in addition to Sumerian.
The transition from consonantal writing to alphabetic writing, writing with full representation of both consonants and vowels, occurred when the Semitic script was adapted to the Greek language. This occurred about 1000–900 bce. Scholars have traditionally considered the Greek invention as a stroke of genius.
Sumerian (Sumerian: 𒅴𒂠, romanized: Emeg̃ir, lit. '' native language '') was the language of ancient Sumer. It is one of the oldest attested languages, dating back to at least 2900 BC. It is accepted to be a local language isolate and to have been spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, in the area that is modern-day Iraq .
Ugaritic alphabet. Sumerian writing. Old Babylonian cuneiform. Neo-Assyrian cuneiform. Akkadian writing. (Show more) cuneiform, system of writing used in the ancient Middle East. The name, a coinage from Latin and Middle French roots meaning “wedge-shaped,” has been the modern designation from the early 18th century onward.
Dec 6, 2023 · The latest known example of cuneiform is an astronomical text from 75 C.E. During its 3,000-year history, cuneiform was used to write around 15 different languages including Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Elamite, Hittite, Urartian, and Old Persian.
