Neolith Ceramic (Writing) Flashcards
For what purpose and when exactly did writing develop?
Writing did not develop all at once, but slowly and not for a specific purpose
As early as when do we know writing to have begun?
6000 BC (Neolithic period)
For what purpose was writing mostly used early on?
Trade documentation
What is an archaeological example of early trade documentation? How did it work?
mesopotamian clay tokens - used by traders of agricultural goods to document goods owed to them and the name of the debtor.
They were put in a clay envelope (shaped like a ball with the name of the debtor and trader on it)
What were the basic shapes of these mesopotamian tokens?
ball, cone, disc, and rod-shaped
What is epigraphy?
the study of ancient written sources
What is paleography?
study of the development of ancient writing systems from the aspect of signs and letters.
What is writing?
Writing is the use of a system (script) of graphic symbols that systematically describe spoken language in order for the purpose of written (non-physical or verbal) communication
What is the Sumerian pictograhic script?
When and where was this Sumerian pictographic script used?
A pictographic script used by the Sumerians. Around 3100 BC, in southern mesopotamia
On what did these people write this pictographic Sumerian script?
On wet clay boards
What is special about this Sumerian pictographic script?
Multi-directional; the direction of writing changes throughout (right to left, left to right, up down)
What is pictographic writing?
Writing that makes use of pictures to represent a concept/word
What is cuneiform writing (yetedot)? What civilization used it?
Writing which uses wedge-shaped marks on clay tables used by the Sumerian civilization
What is markedly different about cuneiform from the pictographic Sumerian script?
pictures turned to a combination of straight horizontal and vertical lines
When did cuneiform develop
In the 3500s BC
Which peoples used Cuneiform?
Used to write several languages of the Ancient Near East; Elamites, Hurrians and the Hittites
How did Cuneiform evolve?
Overtime, some of the signs turned from words to punctuation marks so signs were added to understand the meaning
What is special about cuneiform?
Multidirectional; Direction of writing changes (right to left, left to right, up down)
What is hieroglyphics? What does it mean? What is unknown about this script/writing?
Pictographic writing script used by ancient Egyptians, where every specific picture denoted a specific word. The pronounciation of these words is unknown. Means “holy carving” in Greek
When did hieroglyphics begin? How was it written (physically)?
Began in 3150 BC, with ink on papyrus
For what purpose is hieroglyphics said to have developed?
The development of hieroglyphics is attributed to the need to represent a specific & common events/occurences through writing - such as a hunting trip or a particular battle
How many signs were there in the 2nd millenium BC? What about during the Roman period
In the second millenium BC there were about 750 signs. In the Roman period, a few thousand.
What is special about the hieroglyphic script?
Multi-directional writing (left-right, right-left, up down)
What is the Rosetta stone?
A stone inscribed with three versions of a decree (tsav) issued in Egypt in 196 BC
By whom and when was the Rosetta stone deciphered?
Deciphered by J.F. Champollion in 1822
What script is used in the top text of the Rosetta stone? Middle text? Bottom Text?
- The top and middle text are in Ancient Egyptian using hieroglyphic and demotic scripts respectively
The bottom text is in Ancient Greek
What is the Behistun inscription? What script and languages does it constitute?
A multilingual inscription on a large rock relief on a cliff in Mount Behistun in Iran. Inscription of the same text in three different cuneiform-script languages: Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian?
When was the inscription known of?
The inscription was known both in the Muslim period and the in the middle ages
Who authored it? When did he live?
It was established/authored by Darius the Great (דריווש הראשון). 5th Century BC
By whom and when was the Behistun inscription deciphered?
Sir Henry Rawlinson, a British officer, in 1835
Why was the decipherment of the Behistun inscription important?
It was crucial to the decipherment ofcuneiform scriptbecause the inscription includes three versions of the same text, written in three different cuneiform script languages: Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian
What is an alphabet? What different about alphabetic scripts compared to pictographic or symbolic scripts like Cuneiform, sumerian pictography or even Chinese?
Alphabet: set of letters or symbols used to represent the basic sounds/syllables of a language.
Compared to pictographic writings, alphabets are made up of a relatively small number of characters/letters
What is the earliest alphabet known to man?
The earliest alphabet is the Proto-Sinaitic/Proto-Canaanite script
How did the Proto-Sinatic script develop?
Derived mostly from the Egyptian hieroglyphic script
How and when did the conceptual change from pictographs & symbols to an alphabet come about?
The conceptual change actually began taking place when pictographs represented parts of a word (syllable) and not an entire word itself - in the 18th century B.C.
What are the Serabit inscriptions? What scripts do they constitute?
Dozens of inscriptions found on a mountain in the Sinai called Serabit el-Khadim. They constitute inscriptions in hieroglyphics, hieratic and what became known as proto-sinaitic script
Who discovered the Serabit inscriptions? When?
Sir William Flinders Petrie in the winter of 1904-1905
What was the purpose of the Serabit inscriptions?
These were offerings left in the temple for the goddess Hathor
How many proto-sinaitic inscriptions were found in Serabit? On what were they found?
Four inscriptions were found in the temple on two human-like statutes and on either side of a sphinx-like statue
By whom and when were the Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions of Serabit deciphered?
To what extent were they deciphered? (a word, a letter, a paragraph..?)
What conclusion about Proto-Sinaitic script did Gardiner draw from his decipherment?
In 1916, Alan Gardiner deciphered the word B’alat. Gardiner concluded that the Sinaitic signs were created by reforming Egyptian hieroglyphics.
What is the Phoenician script? When was it used? Which peoples/languages used it?
An alpahbet used from the 13th century B.C. to the 1st century AD used to write Phoenician, Hebrew, Moabite, Ammonite and Edomite
What about the use of Phoenician script was markedly different from all the previous scripts used throughout the evolution of writing?
Used as a linear (uni-directional) script, marking the transition from the multi-directional writing systems
How did Aramaic script? By when had it become a distinct script of its own?
Aramaic alphabet was an adaptation of the Phoenician alphabet by the Arameans. By the 8th century BC it had become a distinct script
Which empire united its whole empire under Aramaic as the international language and script
The Assyrians
What script and language did the Babylonians and Persians use?
Aramaic
What allowed Aramaic script to become even simpler?
The widespread use of the writing for commerce and management simplified Aramaic writing over without unnecessary lines.
With what script did the Jews return to Israel after the declaration of Cyrus the Great?
Aramaic
What scripts were used in the Second Temple period?
Phoenician and Aramaic
When did Aramaic cease to be used as an international language?
With the fall of the Persian Empire
What scripts developed out of Sumerian pictography?
Cuneiform
What scripts developed out of Cuneiform?
Cuneiform is not known to have any specific child systems
What scripts developed out of Egyptian pictography (hieroglyphics)? What scripts developed out of Phoenician script?
Hieroglyphics (pictography) → Proto-Canaanite/Sinatic (alphabetic)→ Phoenician
Out of Phoenician → Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman and Slavic writing developed. And out of Ancient Roman, the modern languages of English, German and French have developed
Out of what script did most of the alphabets in the world today develop? (the consensus)
Proto-Sinaitic script?
How did the use of writing evolve from a social aspect? (hint: easier writing = more people writing)
- Writing developed slowly at first - only being used by the elite in society
- Writers then began writing on soft material (transitioned from engravings on a stone to writing with ink). This allowed for shortcuts which caused a further evolution of writing
- When writing became simple and fast, it started to become public domain, which contributed to the spread of literacy
