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Archaeology > Neolith Ceramic (Writing) > Flashcards

Neolith Ceramic (Writing) Flashcards

1
Q

For what purpose and when exactly did writing develop?

A

Writing did not develop all at once, but slowly and not for a specific purpose

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2
Q

As early as when do we know writing to have begun?

A

6000 BC (Neolithic period)

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3
Q

For what purpose was writing mostly used early on?

A

Trade documentation

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4
Q

What is an archaeological example of early trade documentation? How did it work?

A

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)

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5
Q

What were the basic shapes of these mesopotamian tokens?

A

ball, cone, disc, and rod-shaped

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6
Q

What is epigraphy?

A

the study of ancient written sources

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7
Q

What is paleography?

A

study of the development of ancient writing systems from the aspect of signs and letters.

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8
Q

What is writing?

A

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

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9
Q

What is the Sumerian pictograhic script?

When and where was this Sumerian pictographic script used?

A

A pictographic script used by the Sumerians. Around 3100 BC, in southern mesopotamia

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10
Q

On what did these people write this pictographic Sumerian script?

A

On wet clay boards

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11
Q

What is special about this Sumerian pictographic script?

A

Multi-directional; the direction of writing changes throughout (right to left, left to right, up down)

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12
Q

What is pictographic writing?

A

Writing that makes use of pictures to represent a concept/word

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13
Q

What is cuneiform writing (yetedot)? What civilization used it?

A

Writing which uses wedge-shaped marks on clay tables used by the Sumerian civilization

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14
Q

What is markedly different about cuneiform from the pictographic Sumerian script?

A

pictures turned to a combination of straight horizontal and vertical lines

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15
Q

When did cuneiform develop

A

In the 3500s BC

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16
Q

Which peoples used Cuneiform?

A

Used to write several languages of the Ancient Near East; Elamites, Hurrians and the Hittites

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17
Q

How did Cuneiform evolve?

A

Overtime, some of the signs turned from words to punctuation marks so signs were added to understand the meaning

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18
Q

What is special about cuneiform?

A

Multidirectional; Direction of writing changes (right to left, left to right, up down)

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19
Q

What is hieroglyphics? What does it mean? What is unknown about this script/writing?

A

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

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20
Q

When did hieroglyphics begin? How was it written (physically)?

A

Began in 3150 BC, with ink on papyrus

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21
Q

For what purpose is hieroglyphics said to have developed?

A

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

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22
Q

How many signs were there in the 2nd millenium BC? What about during the Roman period

A

In the second millenium BC there were about 750 signs. In the Roman period, a few thousand.

23
Q

What is special about the hieroglyphic script?

A

Multi-directional writing (left-right, right-left, up down)

24
Q

What is the Rosetta stone?

A

A stone inscribed with three versions of a decree (tsav) issued in Egypt in 196 BC

25
Q

By whom and when was the Rosetta stone deciphered?

A

Deciphered by J.F. Champollion in 1822

26
Q

What script is used in the top text of the Rosetta stone? Middle text? Bottom Text?

A
  • The top and middle text are in Ancient Egyptian using hieroglyphic and demotic scripts respectively

The bottom text is in Ancient Greek

27
Q

What is the Behistun inscription? What script and languages does it constitute?

A

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?

28
Q

When was the inscription known of?

A

The inscription was known both in the Muslim period and the in the middle ages

29
Q

Who authored it? When did he live?

A

It was established/authored by Darius the Great (דריווש הראשון). 5th Century BC

30
Q

By whom and when was the Behistun inscription deciphered?

A

Sir Henry Rawlinson, a British officer, in 1835

31
Q

Why was the decipherment of the Behistun inscription important?

A

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

32
Q

What is an alphabet? What different about alphabetic scripts compared to pictographic or symbolic scripts like Cuneiform, sumerian pictography or even Chinese?

A

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

33
Q

What is the earliest alphabet known to man?

A

The earliest alphabet is the Proto-Sinaitic/Proto-Canaanite script

34
Q

How did the Proto-Sinatic script develop?

A

Derived mostly from the Egyptian hieroglyphic script

35
Q

How and when did the conceptual change from pictographs & symbols to an alphabet come about?

A

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.

36
Q

What are the Serabit inscriptions? What scripts do they constitute?

A

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

37
Q

Who discovered the Serabit inscriptions? When?

A

Sir William Flinders Petrie in the winter of 1904-1905

38
Q

What was the purpose of the Serabit inscriptions?

A

These were offerings left in the temple for the goddess Hathor

39
Q

How many proto-sinaitic inscriptions were found in Serabit? On what were they found?

A

Four inscriptions were found in the temple on two human-like statutes and on either side of a sphinx-like statue

40
Q

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?

A

In 1916, Alan Gardiner deciphered the word B’alat. Gardiner concluded that the Sinaitic signs were created by reforming Egyptian hieroglyphics.

41
Q

What is the Phoenician script? When was it used? Which peoples/languages used it?

A

An alpahbet used from the 13th century B.C. to the 1st century AD used to write Phoenician, Hebrew, Moabite, Ammonite and Edomite

42
Q

What about the use of Phoenician script was markedly different from all the previous scripts used throughout the evolution of writing?

A

Used as a linear (uni-directional) script, marking the transition from the multi-directional writing systems

43
Q

How did Aramaic script? By when had it become a distinct script of its own?

A

Aramaic alphabet was an adaptation of the Phoenician alphabet by the Arameans. By the 8th century BC it had become a distinct script

44
Q

Which empire united its whole empire under Aramaic as the international language and script

A

The Assyrians

45
Q

What script and language did the Babylonians and Persians use?

A

Aramaic

46
Q

What allowed Aramaic script to become even simpler?

A

The widespread use of the writing for commerce and management simplified Aramaic writing over without unnecessary lines.

47
Q

With what script did the Jews return to Israel after the declaration of Cyrus the Great?

A

Aramaic

48
Q

What scripts were used in the Second Temple period?

A

Phoenician and Aramaic

49
Q

When did Aramaic cease to be used as an international language?

A

With the fall of the Persian Empire

50
Q

What scripts developed out of Sumerian pictography?

A

Cuneiform

51
Q

What scripts developed out of Cuneiform?

A

Cuneiform is not known to have any specific child systems

52
Q

What scripts developed out of Egyptian pictography (hieroglyphics)? What scripts developed out of Phoenician script?

A

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

53
Q

Out of what script did most of the alphabets in the world today develop? (the consensus)

A

Proto-Sinaitic script?

54
Q

How did the use of writing evolve from a social aspect? (hint: easier writing = more people writing)

A
  • 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

Archaeology (13 decks)

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