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For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. Sumerian (Sumerian: 𒅴𒂠, romanized: Emeg̃ir, lit. '' native language '') is the language of ancient Sumer. It is one of the oldest attested languages, dating back to at least 2900 BC.
- Sumerian Cuneiform
- Notable Features
- Sample Texts
- Links
- Language Isolates
- Semanto-Phonetic Writing Systems
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 env...
Type of writing system: semanto-phonetic- the symbols consist of phonograms, representing spoken syllables, determinatives, which indicate the category a word belonged to and logograms, which repre...Number of symbols: between about 1,000 in older texts to 400 in later texts.Many of the symbols had multiple pronunciations.Summary account of silver for the governor written in Sumerian Cuneiform on a clay tablet. From Shuruppak, Iraq, circa 2500 BC. British Museum, London. Image by Gavin.collins - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sumerian_account_of_silver_for_the_govenor.JPG Part 12 of The Code of Hammurabi
Information about the Sumerian language and script: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuneiform_script https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuneiform http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumerian_language http://www.sumerian.org/ Sumerian dictionaries http://psd.museum.upenn.edu/ http://www.sumerian.org/sumerlex.htm The Sumerian Word of the Day http://sumerianwotd.liv...
Adaizan, Ainu, Basque, Burushaski, Candoshi-Shapra, Chitimacha, Eskayan, Hadza, Haida, Karuk, Kawésqar, Keres, Kuot, Kusunda, Kutenai, Natchez, Nihali, Nivkh, Páez, Purepecha, Sandawe, Seri, Sumerian, Tartessian, Ticuna, Tiwi, Tonkawa, Tunica, Urarina, Waorani, Wardaman, Washo, Yaghan, Yuchi/Euchee, Zuni
Akkadian Cuneiform, Ancient Egyptian (Demotic), Ancient Egyptian (Hieratic), Ancient Egyptian (Hieroglyphs), Chinese, Chữ-nôm, Cuneiform, Japanese, Jurchen, Khitan, Linear B, Luwian, Mayan, Naxi, Sawndip (Old Zhuang), Sui, Sumerian Cuneiform, Tangut (Hsihsia) Other writing systems Page last modified: 02.01.24 [top] Why not share this page: If you l...
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List of cuneiform signs. Cuneiform is one of the earliest systems of writing, emerging in Sumer in the late fourth millennium BC. Archaic versions of cuneiform writing, including the Ur III (and earlier, ED III cuneiform of literature such as the Barton Cylinder) are not included due to extreme complexity of arranging them consistently and ...
MeszlŠl/haAbzl10010012002130020074002a002- Cuneiform. A system of writing first developed by the Sumerians, the cuneiform was used in pictographic tablets for the purpose of keeping records of their temple activities, business and trade, but it later turned into a full-fledged writing system.
- Sumerian Pentagram. One of the most persistent symbols in human history, the pentagram is most recognized as a five-pointed star. However, the oldest known pentagrams appeared in ancient Sumer around 3500 BCE.
- Lilith. Sculpture was used to adorn temples and promote worship of local deities in each city-state of Sumer. A popular Mesopotamian sculpture features a goddess is depicted as a beautiful, winged woman with bird’s talons.
- The Lamassu. One of the symbols of protection in Mesopotamia, the Lamassu is depicted as a part bull and part human with beard and wings on his back. They’re regarded as mythical guardians and celestial beings that represent the constellations or the zodiac.
Most later adaptations of Sumerian cuneiform preserved at least some aspects of the Sumerian script. Written Akkadian included phonetic symbols from the Sumerian syllabary, together with logograms that were read as whole words. Many signs in the script were polyvalent, having both a syllabic and logographic meaning.
- left-to-right
- (Proto-writing)Cuneiform
- Cuneiform
Nov 7, 2015 · The script was originally written using ideograms, symbols which express an idea rather than a word or sound, and thus can technically be understood in any language. As the script developed though, Sumerian scribes attributed syllabic values to the signs based on how the word sounded in the language.
Sumerian language, language isolate and the oldest written language in existence. First attested about 3100 BCE in southern Mesopotamia, it flourished during the 3rd millennium BCE. About 2000 BCE, Sumerian was replaced as a spoken language by Semitic Akkadian (Assyro-Babylonian).
