The ultimate cause of much historical, social and cultural change is the gradual accumulation of human knowledge of the environment. Human beings use the materials in their environment to meet their needs and increased human knowledge of the environment enables human needs to be met in a more efficient manner. The human environment includes the human being itself and the human ability to communicate by means of language and to make symbolic representations of the sounds produced by language, allowed the development of writing. Writing developed over time in a necessary and inevitable manner from logographic, to syllabic, to alphabetical systems. This development from simpler word based writing to more complex syllable based systems and then even more complex sound based writing systems was a logical progression from, simple less useful systems, to more complex, but more useful systems. This is an example of how the simplest knowledge is acquired first and more complex knowledge is acquired later. The order of discovery determines the course of human social and cultural history as knowledge of new and more efficient means of meeting human needs, results in new technology, which results in the development of new social and ideological systems. This means human social and cultural history, has to follow a particular course, a course that is determined by the structure of the human environment.
Writing originated independently in three places: Mesopotamia around 3200 BCE, China around 1250 BCE, and Mesoamerica around 650 BCE. In Mesopotamia, writing evolved from a system of clay tokens used for accounting of commodities starting around 7500 BCE. These tokens were eventually impressed on clay tablets, removing the need for physical tokens. Around 3000 BCE, phonetic symbols were created to represent sounds, connecting writing to spoken language. Writing was initially only used for economic purposes, but around 2700 BCE began to be used for funerary inscriptions as well.
The document discusses the origins and development of writing systems around the world. It begins by describing early pictograms and rock paintings from prehistoric times. It then summarizes the evolution of writing in three ancient cultures - the Sumerians developed cuneiform writing using wedge-shaped impressions on clay tablets, the Egyptians created hieroglyphic writing using reed pens on papyrus, and the Chinese developed logographic characters that later became phonetic. The document explores how different writing materials influenced script forms and provides examples of the world's earliest writing systems.
Introduction; Decipehring and Rawlinson who deciphered Cuneiform; multi-lingual inscription on the Behustun hill; writing materials, picture to pictogram, to ideogram, to alphabet; Hammurabi’s Code.
The document discusses the history and features of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. It originated suddenly around 3100 BC in a fully developed form, and remained unchanged for over 3000 years. Hieroglyphs were pictographic symbols that could represent sounds, syllables, or objects. They were used in monumental inscriptions but later evolved into cursive scripts for common use. The Rosetta Stone helped French scholar Champollion decode hieroglyphs in 1822 by providing a multilingual text for comparison.
The document provides historical context on the development of linguistic ideas in Arabic and Hebrew traditions as well as during the Middle Ages in Europe. It discusses how Arabic grammarians sought to explain and preserve the perfection of the Qur'an, leading to analysis of morphology. For Hebrew grammarians, the focus was establishing the biblical text, with translation bringing linguistic study. In the Middle Ages, Latin dominated and Bible translation influenced work on universal grammar and linking language to reality through Modistae theological analyses.
Paleolithic - Nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived in caves or huts and created cave paintings and tools from stone.
Neolithic - Settlements emerged as humans transitioned to an agricultural lifestyle, growing crops and domesticating animals. Rock art depicted hunting and ceremonies.
Metal Ages - The emergence of metallurgy led to stronger tools and weapons from copper, bronze and iron. Trade increased and the first cities developed with specialized labor and hierarchical societies. Megalithic monuments like stone circles and dolmens were constructed.
Writing originated independently in three places: Mesopotamia around 3200 BCE, China around 1250 BCE, and Mesoamerica around 650 BCE. In Mesopotamia, writing evolved from a system of clay tokens used for accounting of commodities starting around 7500 BCE. These tokens were eventually impressed on clay tablets, removing the need for physical tokens. Around 3000 BCE, phonetic symbols were created to represent sounds, connecting writing to spoken language. Writing was initially only used for economic purposes, but around 2700 BCE began to be used for funerary inscriptions as well.
The document discusses the origins and development of writing systems around the world. It begins by describing early pictograms and rock paintings from prehistoric times. It then summarizes the evolution of writing in three ancient cultures - the Sumerians developed cuneiform writing using wedge-shaped impressions on clay tablets, the Egyptians created hieroglyphic writing using reed pens on papyrus, and the Chinese developed logographic characters that later became phonetic. The document explores how different writing materials influenced script forms and provides examples of the world's earliest writing systems.
Introduction; Decipehring and Rawlinson who deciphered Cuneiform; multi-lingual inscription on the Behustun hill; writing materials, picture to pictogram, to ideogram, to alphabet; Hammurabi’s Code.
The document discusses the history and features of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. It originated suddenly around 3100 BC in a fully developed form, and remained unchanged for over 3000 years. Hieroglyphs were pictographic symbols that could represent sounds, syllables, or objects. They were used in monumental inscriptions but later evolved into cursive scripts for common use. The Rosetta Stone helped French scholar Champollion decode hieroglyphs in 1822 by providing a multilingual text for comparison.
The document provides historical context on the development of linguistic ideas in Arabic and Hebrew traditions as well as during the Middle Ages in Europe. It discusses how Arabic grammarians sought to explain and preserve the perfection of the Qur'an, leading to analysis of morphology. For Hebrew grammarians, the focus was establishing the biblical text, with translation bringing linguistic study. In the Middle Ages, Latin dominated and Bible translation influenced work on universal grammar and linking language to reality through Modistae theological analyses.
Paleolithic - Nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived in caves or huts and created cave paintings and tools from stone.
Neolithic - Settlements emerged as humans transitioned to an agricultural lifestyle, growing crops and domesticating animals. Rock art depicted hunting and ceremonies.
Metal Ages - The emergence of metallurgy led to stronger tools and weapons from copper, bronze and iron. Trade increased and the first cities developed with specialized labor and hierarchical societies. Megalithic monuments like stone circles and dolmens were constructed.
This document provides an overview of early civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt. It discusses key characteristics that Mesopotamia and Egypt shared, including developing along major river valleys, being polytheistic, having hierarchical societies, and inventing writing. For Mesopotamia specifically, it outlines the major civilizations of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria. It also summarizes architectural features like ziggurats and reliefs, and literature like the Epic of Gilgamesh. For Egypt, it divides its history into periods including the Old Empire when the pyramids of Giza were built.
Roman civilization originated in the city of Rome, founded in the 8th century BC along the Tiber River. According to legend, Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus. Roman society was divided between patricians and plebeians, and later included slaves. The government transitioned from a monarchy to a republic to an empire. The Roman Empire reached its peak between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD during the Pax Romana, but economic and political crises led to the Western Empire's fall in 476 AD. Roman influence is still seen today through language, laws, and Christianity.
This document provides an introduction to the study of epigraphy. It discusses how epigraphy involves the study of inscriptions and scripts. It outlines different mediums that inscriptions can be found on, such as rocks, copper plates, and sculptures. The document also describes common elements found in inscriptions, such as openings, names of kings, donation details, and curses. It explains that inscriptions were used for purposes like documenting ownership and royal orders. Finally, it lists several scripts used in inscriptions throughout South Asia and India and discusses methods for analyzing inscriptions.
1) The document provides an overview of early civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt, outlining their common characteristics including reliance on river valleys for agriculture, hierarchical social structures, and the development of writing, law codes, and polytheistic religions.
2) It then describes some key aspects of Mesopotamian civilizations like the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians and Assyrians as well as their architecture, sculpture, and literature including the Epic of Gilgamesh.
3) Details are also given about ancient Egyptian society centered around the pharaoh, their polytheistic religion focused on death and the afterlife, reliance on the Nile River, and
The document is a student paper on the history of mathematics. It covers the development of mathematics from prehistoric times through modern eras in different regions, including Prehistoric, Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Chinese, Indian, Islamic, Medieval European, Renaissance, and Modern mathematics. The paper provides an overview of key mathematical concepts, texts, and figures from each historical period and location.
Early civilizations developed monumental architecture like ziggurats and pyramids to demonstrate power and unify cultures. Elites promoted arts that decorated temples and palaces. Writing systems independently arose in places like Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley and spread between cultures. Legal codes standardized rules but also stratified societies, as seen in Hammurabi's code treating classes differently. Literature like the Epic of Gilgamesh and Rig Veda reflected each culture. Trade of goods between Mesopotamia and Indus Valley linked regions. Overall, culture helped unify states by establishing shared symbols, laws, and economic ties while also reinforcing social hierarchies.
The file contains short notes from the 12th standard textbooks of History(NCERT). Contains 15 chapters of different eras. From ancient history to Framing of Indian Constitution. Suited for competitive examinations and students giving board examination. A quick way to recapitulate.
The document discusses the geography of ancient Mesopotamia and the origins of civilization. Mesopotamia, meaning "land between the rivers", referred to the fertile region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers where the first civilization developed over 5,000 years ago. Small farming communities grew into large cities with specialized jobs, common culture, and empires like Sumer, considered the first Mesopotamian civilization. Many aspects of modern civilization such as the first written language, legal code, math, and science originated in ancient Mesopotamia, also known as the "Cradle of Civilization."
Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern day Iraq and Syria. Sumerian society developed complex cultures centered around cities like Ur and Babylon. They practiced polytheistic religions and built ziggurats to worship gods. Writing developed to record legal codes like Hammurabi's Code, which established laws around civil matters like contracts and criminal offenses. Society was stratified with rulers, priests, merchants, farmers, and slaves. City-states competed for resources and influence in the region.
Covers Sumer- the first civilization. Details early farming, government, societal hierarchy, technologies, arts, written language, embedded relevant YouTube videos.
I used images from google search images.
The document outlines a lesson plan about the Fertile Crescent, known as the cradle of civilization. It discusses the objectives of teaching students about the various civilizations that arose in the Fertile Crescent and their contributions. The learning activities include a brainstorming game where students answer questions in groups about the Mesopotamian civilizations like the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and their inventions and achievements. Students are then asked to evaluate one civilization's contributions and research ancient Philippine civilizations.
1) The document discusses the early civilization of Mesopotamia, located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
2) It focuses on the Sumerian civilization, the first to emerge in Mesopotamia around 4500 BCE. The Sumerians developed advanced farming techniques, irrigation, and urban settlements like Ur.
3) The Sumerians invented cuneiform writing and made advances in math, architecture like the ziggurat, law, and literature including the Epic of Gilgamesh. However, the constant warfare between Sumerian city-states was also a defining aspect of their civilization.
The Sumerian civilization arose around 4500-4000 BC in the fertile crescent region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia. Sumerian society was composed of independent city-states like Ur and Kish that were ruled by kings with both governmental and religious powers, forming a theocratic system. Farming was central to their economy and they developed innovations like the wheel, lunar calendar, and a base-60 number system. Religion was important in Sumerian culture and each city had its own patron deity housed in a ziggurat temple.
The document summarizes key aspects of early civilizations that emerged in Mesopotamia and Egypt between 4000 BCE - 200 CE. It describes how the Fertile Crescent's fertile soil and flood patterns supported the rise of Sumerian cities like Ur and Uruk, where innovations included writing systems, architecture, laws, and literature. Egyptian civilization centered around the Nile River, where pharaohs built massive pyramids and the practice of mummification helped with beliefs about the afterlife. Both developed systems of writing - cuneiform clay tablets in Mesopotamia and hieroglyphics in Egypt - to record their cultural and religious traditions.
Egyptian civilization flourished along the Nile River from around 3000 BC to 30 BC. Key aspects included a centralized government led by a divine pharaoh; a society stratified into classes like nobles, peasants, and slaves; and a polytheistic religion centered around major gods like Ra, Osiris, and Horus. The Egyptians developed a hieroglyphic writing system, made advances in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and engineering through structures like the pyramids, and had technologies including brick-making and glass-working.
This document provides an overview and chapter sections for a textbook on early civilizations:
Section 1 summarizes the development of early humans from Paleolithic nomads to the agricultural revolution of the Neolithic Age. Section 2 discusses the emergence of civilization in Mesopotamia, including the Sumerian city-states and their inventions. Section 3 describes the Assyrian Empire and the Chaldean Empire in Babylon, which developed new architecture, astronomy, and a seven-day calendar.
This document summarizes key points from chapters 5-7 and 9 of Communication in History. It discusses the origins and development of writing, including theories on how writing began in Mesopotamia. It covers the development of early writing systems like hieroglyphics and cuneiform, as well as the invention of the alphabet around 1500 BC. It then discusses the introduction of the Greek alphabet and how literacy increased after the printing press. Finally, it analyzes how oral communication differs between primary and secondary oral cultures in the modern media age.
Bjmc i, dcm,unit-i, the early communicationRai University
Early humans developed language as the first means of communication through primitive grunts that evolved into meaningful syntax. As civilization advanced around 8000 BC in Mesopotamia, Sumerians developed the first writing system of wedge-shaped symbols pressed into clay tablets called cuneiform. Various cultures also developed their own writing systems like the Egyptians with hieroglyphics carved into stone and monuments. Over time, writing systems progressed from early pictograms to syllabic scripts representing sounds and eventually alphabetic systems with symbols for individual sounds, enabling more precise recording and sharing of information.
The document discusses the development of writing systems from early pictographic and ideographic symbols to modern alphabetic writing. It traces the evolution of some of the earliest writing in places like Mesopotamia and Egypt, where symbols on clay tablets evolved into standardized cuneiform and hieroglyphic scripts. Over time, these early systems developed features of logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic writing as methods to represent spoken language in graphic form.
The document discusses the development of writing systems from early pictographs and ideograms to modern alphabets. It traces the evolution of some of the earliest writing found in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC in the form of pictographs on clay tablets. Over time, these early symbols became standardized into proto-writing systems and eventually into the logographic cuneiform script used by Sumerians and Akkadians. The document also examines other ancient writing systems including Egyptian hieroglyphs and the Phoenician alphabet, considered the first fully developed syllabic system.
The document discusses the development of writing systems throughout history. It begins by noting that many languages today are only spoken and do not have a written form. The earliest forms of writing were pictograms, which evolved into ideograms and logograms over time. Major early writing systems discussed include cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Chinese characters. The document then examines the transition to syllabic and alphabetic writing systems, including the development of the Phoenician alphabet that many modern alphabets are derived from. It concludes by discussing features of modern writing systems like capitalization, punctuation, and other graphical contrasts used to convey meaning.
Egypt developed four scripts over time - hieroglyphs, hieratic, demotic, and Coptic. Hieroglyphs originated as pictograms and evolved into a complex writing system combining word signs, phonograms, and determinatives. Scribes became an important class who were responsible for correspondence and record keeping using these scripts. Eventually, Coptic replaced earlier scripts as the primary written language in Egypt.
This document provides an overview of early civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt. It discusses key characteristics that Mesopotamia and Egypt shared, including developing along major river valleys, being polytheistic, having hierarchical societies, and inventing writing. For Mesopotamia specifically, it outlines the major civilizations of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria. It also summarizes architectural features like ziggurats and reliefs, and literature like the Epic of Gilgamesh. For Egypt, it divides its history into periods including the Old Empire when the pyramids of Giza were built.
Roman civilization originated in the city of Rome, founded in the 8th century BC along the Tiber River. According to legend, Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus. Roman society was divided between patricians and plebeians, and later included slaves. The government transitioned from a monarchy to a republic to an empire. The Roman Empire reached its peak between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD during the Pax Romana, but economic and political crises led to the Western Empire's fall in 476 AD. Roman influence is still seen today through language, laws, and Christianity.
This document provides an introduction to the study of epigraphy. It discusses how epigraphy involves the study of inscriptions and scripts. It outlines different mediums that inscriptions can be found on, such as rocks, copper plates, and sculptures. The document also describes common elements found in inscriptions, such as openings, names of kings, donation details, and curses. It explains that inscriptions were used for purposes like documenting ownership and royal orders. Finally, it lists several scripts used in inscriptions throughout South Asia and India and discusses methods for analyzing inscriptions.
1) The document provides an overview of early civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt, outlining their common characteristics including reliance on river valleys for agriculture, hierarchical social structures, and the development of writing, law codes, and polytheistic religions.
2) It then describes some key aspects of Mesopotamian civilizations like the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians and Assyrians as well as their architecture, sculpture, and literature including the Epic of Gilgamesh.
3) Details are also given about ancient Egyptian society centered around the pharaoh, their polytheistic religion focused on death and the afterlife, reliance on the Nile River, and
The document is a student paper on the history of mathematics. It covers the development of mathematics from prehistoric times through modern eras in different regions, including Prehistoric, Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Chinese, Indian, Islamic, Medieval European, Renaissance, and Modern mathematics. The paper provides an overview of key mathematical concepts, texts, and figures from each historical period and location.
Early civilizations developed monumental architecture like ziggurats and pyramids to demonstrate power and unify cultures. Elites promoted arts that decorated temples and palaces. Writing systems independently arose in places like Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley and spread between cultures. Legal codes standardized rules but also stratified societies, as seen in Hammurabi's code treating classes differently. Literature like the Epic of Gilgamesh and Rig Veda reflected each culture. Trade of goods between Mesopotamia and Indus Valley linked regions. Overall, culture helped unify states by establishing shared symbols, laws, and economic ties while also reinforcing social hierarchies.
The file contains short notes from the 12th standard textbooks of History(NCERT). Contains 15 chapters of different eras. From ancient history to Framing of Indian Constitution. Suited for competitive examinations and students giving board examination. A quick way to recapitulate.
The document discusses the geography of ancient Mesopotamia and the origins of civilization. Mesopotamia, meaning "land between the rivers", referred to the fertile region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers where the first civilization developed over 5,000 years ago. Small farming communities grew into large cities with specialized jobs, common culture, and empires like Sumer, considered the first Mesopotamian civilization. Many aspects of modern civilization such as the first written language, legal code, math, and science originated in ancient Mesopotamia, also known as the "Cradle of Civilization."
Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern day Iraq and Syria. Sumerian society developed complex cultures centered around cities like Ur and Babylon. They practiced polytheistic religions and built ziggurats to worship gods. Writing developed to record legal codes like Hammurabi's Code, which established laws around civil matters like contracts and criminal offenses. Society was stratified with rulers, priests, merchants, farmers, and slaves. City-states competed for resources and influence in the region.
Covers Sumer- the first civilization. Details early farming, government, societal hierarchy, technologies, arts, written language, embedded relevant YouTube videos.
I used images from google search images.
The document outlines a lesson plan about the Fertile Crescent, known as the cradle of civilization. It discusses the objectives of teaching students about the various civilizations that arose in the Fertile Crescent and their contributions. The learning activities include a brainstorming game where students answer questions in groups about the Mesopotamian civilizations like the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and their inventions and achievements. Students are then asked to evaluate one civilization's contributions and research ancient Philippine civilizations.
1) The document discusses the early civilization of Mesopotamia, located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
2) It focuses on the Sumerian civilization, the first to emerge in Mesopotamia around 4500 BCE. The Sumerians developed advanced farming techniques, irrigation, and urban settlements like Ur.
3) The Sumerians invented cuneiform writing and made advances in math, architecture like the ziggurat, law, and literature including the Epic of Gilgamesh. However, the constant warfare between Sumerian city-states was also a defining aspect of their civilization.
The Sumerian civilization arose around 4500-4000 BC in the fertile crescent region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia. Sumerian society was composed of independent city-states like Ur and Kish that were ruled by kings with both governmental and religious powers, forming a theocratic system. Farming was central to their economy and they developed innovations like the wheel, lunar calendar, and a base-60 number system. Religion was important in Sumerian culture and each city had its own patron deity housed in a ziggurat temple.
The document summarizes key aspects of early civilizations that emerged in Mesopotamia and Egypt between 4000 BCE - 200 CE. It describes how the Fertile Crescent's fertile soil and flood patterns supported the rise of Sumerian cities like Ur and Uruk, where innovations included writing systems, architecture, laws, and literature. Egyptian civilization centered around the Nile River, where pharaohs built massive pyramids and the practice of mummification helped with beliefs about the afterlife. Both developed systems of writing - cuneiform clay tablets in Mesopotamia and hieroglyphics in Egypt - to record their cultural and religious traditions.
Egyptian civilization flourished along the Nile River from around 3000 BC to 30 BC. Key aspects included a centralized government led by a divine pharaoh; a society stratified into classes like nobles, peasants, and slaves; and a polytheistic religion centered around major gods like Ra, Osiris, and Horus. The Egyptians developed a hieroglyphic writing system, made advances in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and engineering through structures like the pyramids, and had technologies including brick-making and glass-working.
This document provides an overview and chapter sections for a textbook on early civilizations:
Section 1 summarizes the development of early humans from Paleolithic nomads to the agricultural revolution of the Neolithic Age. Section 2 discusses the emergence of civilization in Mesopotamia, including the Sumerian city-states and their inventions. Section 3 describes the Assyrian Empire and the Chaldean Empire in Babylon, which developed new architecture, astronomy, and a seven-day calendar.
This document summarizes key points from chapters 5-7 and 9 of Communication in History. It discusses the origins and development of writing, including theories on how writing began in Mesopotamia. It covers the development of early writing systems like hieroglyphics and cuneiform, as well as the invention of the alphabet around 1500 BC. It then discusses the introduction of the Greek alphabet and how literacy increased after the printing press. Finally, it analyzes how oral communication differs between primary and secondary oral cultures in the modern media age.
Bjmc i, dcm,unit-i, the early communicationRai University
Early humans developed language as the first means of communication through primitive grunts that evolved into meaningful syntax. As civilization advanced around 8000 BC in Mesopotamia, Sumerians developed the first writing system of wedge-shaped symbols pressed into clay tablets called cuneiform. Various cultures also developed their own writing systems like the Egyptians with hieroglyphics carved into stone and monuments. Over time, writing systems progressed from early pictograms to syllabic scripts representing sounds and eventually alphabetic systems with symbols for individual sounds, enabling more precise recording and sharing of information.
The document discusses the development of writing systems from early pictographic and ideographic symbols to modern alphabetic writing. It traces the evolution of some of the earliest writing in places like Mesopotamia and Egypt, where symbols on clay tablets evolved into standardized cuneiform and hieroglyphic scripts. Over time, these early systems developed features of logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic writing as methods to represent spoken language in graphic form.
The document discusses the development of writing systems from early pictographs and ideograms to modern alphabets. It traces the evolution of some of the earliest writing found in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC in the form of pictographs on clay tablets. Over time, these early symbols became standardized into proto-writing systems and eventually into the logographic cuneiform script used by Sumerians and Akkadians. The document also examines other ancient writing systems including Egyptian hieroglyphs and the Phoenician alphabet, considered the first fully developed syllabic system.
The document discusses the development of writing systems throughout history. It begins by noting that many languages today are only spoken and do not have a written form. The earliest forms of writing were pictograms, which evolved into ideograms and logograms over time. Major early writing systems discussed include cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Chinese characters. The document then examines the transition to syllabic and alphabetic writing systems, including the development of the Phoenician alphabet that many modern alphabets are derived from. It concludes by discussing features of modern writing systems like capitalization, punctuation, and other graphical contrasts used to convey meaning.
Egypt developed four scripts over time - hieroglyphs, hieratic, demotic, and Coptic. Hieroglyphs originated as pictograms and evolved into a complex writing system combining word signs, phonograms, and determinatives. Scribes became an important class who were responsible for correspondence and record keeping using these scripts. Eventually, Coptic replaced earlier scripts as the primary written language in Egypt.
The document discusses the development of writing systems throughout history. It traces the origins of writing back a few thousand years to early pictographic and ideographic forms of communication in places like Mesopotamia and Egypt. Over time, these systems became more standardized and evolved into the first true writing using logograms, syllabaries, alphabets, and other forms representing linguistic units. The document also examines specific scripts like cuneiform, hieroglyphics, and the development of the Roman alphabet used for modern English.
Written language developed as oral language became insufficient for communicating in complex societies. Around 3000 BCE, one of the earliest writing systems called cuneiform was developed in Mesopotamia to record business and farm records. Mesopotamia's writing system influenced the development of writing in other ancient civilizations like Egypt. Early forms of writing evolved from pictograms, which were literal pictures, to ideograms representing ideas, and eventually to representing sounds of spoken language. Modern cultures still use some pictograms like road signs. Cuneiform, one of the earliest writing systems, used wedge-shaped symbols pressed into clay tablets to represent words. Egyptian hieroglyphics also developed as a writing system influenced by Mesopotamia
The document discusses the development of writing systems throughout history from early pictograms to modern alphabets. It describes the evolution from pictographic scripts to ideographic, logographic, and syllabic systems. Key developments include the Sumerian cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Phoenician alphabet which later influenced the Greek and Latin alphabets. The document also examines how writing systems encode different levels of meaning through capitalization, punctuation, abbreviations and other graphical contrasts to enhance readability and convey semantic information.
The document discusses the development of early writing systems. It explains that the earliest forms of writing began as pictograms, with symbols representing concrete objects and ideas. Over time, some pictograms evolved into ideograms with more abstract meanings. Separately, writing systems like cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and others emerged independently in different regions between 3500-3000 BC. These early forms of writing gradually became more standardized and could represent syllables and words in addition to concepts.
Join me and us on the videoconference. The topîcs are deep and hot since we are dealing with how human beings tanks to language and arts managed to capture the symbolical dimension of reality. This means all mental and spiritual production of human beings from science to religion are symbolical of the mental power of Jomom Sapiens, a mental power in vast expansion for more than 300,000 years. He did not start from scratch but the very first step on this march was the invention of the rotation of vowels and consonants without which nothing was possible
The document discusses the history and development of written language from early symbols to modern writing. It traces how symbols were first used as a means of communication and later developed into written languages with alphabets. Key developments included the use of tokens in early civilizations to represent goods, the creation of early writing systems like cuneiform, and the Phoenicians developing one of the first alphabets that influenced languages like Greek and Latin. The essence of modern writing continues to change as new technologies transform the symbols and methods used to communicate.
A brief overview of the history of writing - who invented the first writing system, where and for what purpose. From Mesapotamia tax records to modern-day emoticons and txt spk : )
The document traces the evolution of writing from early pictographs to modern alphabetic writing systems. It begins with the Sumerians developing the first writing system of wedge-shaped strokes around 3000 BC. Over thousands of years, other civilizations developed their own systems including hieroglyphics in Egypt and an alphabet of consonants by the Phoenicians. The Greeks later added vowels, creating an alphabet still used today. Punctuation, lowercase letters, and spaces between words were later refinements that increased readability and standardized written languages.
HISTORY OF READING.pdf: AN INTRODUCTION TO READING AND WRITINGmarygracealejo2
The document traces the evolution of writing from early pictographs to modern alphabetic writing systems. It begins with the Sumerians developing the first writing system of wedge-shaped symbols around 4000 BC. Over thousands of years, various civilizations developed their own writing styles, with the Phoenicians creating the first alphabet of consonants around 2000 BC. Major advances included the Greeks adding vowels around 1000 BC and punctuation appearing around 200 BC. Spaces between words and lowercase letters were innovations from medieval scribes around 900 AD, completing the major upgrades to writing systems over the past 5,000 years.
The document discusses the origins and development of writing systems around the world. It begins by describing early pictograms and rock paintings from prehistoric times. It then summarizes the evolution of writing in three ancient cultures - the Sumerians developed cuneiform writing using wedge-shaped impressions on clay tablets, the Egyptians created hieroglyphic writing using reed pens on papyrus, and the Chinese developed logographic characters that eventually became less pictographic. The document goes on to discuss other scripts and factors that influenced their development such as available writing materials.
According to paleontologists, humans appeared on Earth only around 100,000 years ago as primitive beings that walked upright and had adaptable hands and brains enabling them to show superiority over other species. As social beings, early humans communicated using grunts and body language but slowly developed oral language to more clearly express messages and ideas. Eventually, symbols were developed to correspond to oral messages to allow communication over distances.
Early forms of writing began as pictographs and petroglyphs that represented concrete objects and ideas. The earliest true writing systems developed in Egypt, Sumeria, and the Indus Valley around 3500 BCE, though they were pictorial rather than alphabetic. Early writing served practical purposes like recording taxes rather than literature. The Rosetta Stone helped scholars decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs in the 19th century. Understanding the history of writing provides context for how modern writing systems evolved from early forms and the origins of modern grammar conventions.
The document summarizes the development and evolution of various writing systems throughout history. It discusses 6 stages: 1) picture writing, 2) hieroglyphics invented by ancient Egyptians, 3) cuneiform developed by Sumerians, 4) logographic writing using symbols to represent words, 5) ideographic writing using symbols to represent ideas, and 6) phonetic writing assigning symbols to represent sounds. The document provides examples and details for many influential writing systems that advanced from earlier systems and ultimately influenced the development of the alphabet.
Semiotics & Symbolic Anthropology: An Introduction and Discussion of how it r...Ashley M. Richter
How can technology guide the citizens of the world to a new level of cultural literacy?
This discussion of symbols and visual literacy is a primer to the importance of the palimpsests all around us and how the the data integration and visualization of the future need to capitalize on their ability to convey this information and make it meaningful to users.
Similar to History of writing and record keeping (20)
This paper was written to study the order of medical advances throughout history. It investigates changing human beliefs concerning the causes of diseases, how modern surgery developed and improved methods of diagnosis and the use of medical statistics. Human beliefs about the causes of disease followed a logical progression from supernatural causes, such as the wrath of the Gods, to natural causes, involving imbalances within the human body. The invention of the microscope led to the discovery of microorganisms which were eventually identified as the cause of infectious diseases. Identification of the particular microorganism causing a disease led to immunization against the disease. Modern surgery only developed after the ending of the taboo against human dissection and the discovery of modern anesthesia and the discovery of the need for anti-septic practices. Modern diagnostic practices began with the discovery of x-rays and the invention of medical scanners. Improved mathematics, especially in probability theory, led to statistical studies which led to a much greater ability, to identify the causes of disease, and to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments. These discoveries all occurred in a necessary and inevitable order with the easiest discoveries being made first and the harder discoveries being made later. The order of discovery determined the course of the history of medicine and is an example of how social and cultural history has to follow a particular course determined by the structure of the world around us.
Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Leslie White, Allen Johnson and Timothy Earle, and Stephen Sanderson all produced linear theories of history, social change and cultural evolution but their theories have a common deficiency. None of them provide an ultimate explanation for social cultural and historical change. This failure was rectified by J. S. Mill who suggested increasing human knowledge was the ultimate cause of social, cultural and historical change. However even Mill did not ask what caused the increasing human knowledge and why the knowledge had to be acquired in a particular order and how this could affect human history.
The discovery of the atomic world and the constituents of matterRochelle Forrester
The discovery of the atomic world and the constituents of matter was written to investigate the order of discovery of the sub atomic particles. The discovery of these particles took place in a necessary and inevitable order with charged particles, such as electrons and protons, discovered before neutrons, and particles in the outer regions of the atom such as electrons being discovered before protons and neutrons in the atomic nucleus, and with quarks which exist within protons and neutrons being the last discovery. The order of discovery is from those particles closest to us to those further from us in the sense of being deeper in the atom. The order of discovery and the social and cultural consequences of the discoveries took place in a necessary and inevitable order and is consistent with the conclusions reached in my book How Change Happens: A Theory of Philosophy of History, Social Change and Cultural Evolution.
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The binding of cosmological structures by massless topological defectsSérgio Sacani
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The cost of acquiring information by natural selectionCarl Bergstrom
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The cost of information acquisition by natural selection
Ryan Seamus McGee, Olivia Kosterlitz, Artem Kaznatcheev, Benjamin Kerr, Carl T. Bergstrom
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Perhaps most importantly, Thermodynamics rapidly became a primary tool in the advance of applied science/engineering/technology, spanning micro-tech, to aerospace and cosmology. I can think of no better a story to illustrate the breadth of scientific methodologies and applications at their best.
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By harnessing the power of High Flux Vacuum Membrane Distillation, Travis Hills from MN envisions a future where clean and safe drinking water is accessible to all, regardless of geographical location or economic status.
2. 2
Writing was first invented by the Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia before 3,000 BCE. It
was also independently invented in Meso-America before 600 BCE and probably independently
invented in China before 1,300 BCE. It may have been independently invented in Egypt around 3,000
BCE although given the geographical proximity between Egypt and Mesopotamia the Egyptians may
have learnt writing from the Sumerians.
There are three basic types of writing systems. The written signs used by the writing system
could represent either, a whole word, a syllable or an individual sound. Where the written sign
represents a word the system is known as logographic as it uses logograms which are written signs
that represent a word. The earliest writing systems such as the Sumerian cuneiform, Egyptian
hieroglyphics and Mayan glyphs are predominantly logographic as are modern Chinese and Japanese
writing systems. Where the written sign represents a syllable the writing system is known as syllabic.
Syllabic writing systems were more common in the ancient world than they are today. The Linear A
and B writing systems of Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece are syllabic. The most common
writing systems today are alphabetical. These involve the written sign (a letter) representing a single
sound (known as a phoneme). The earliest known alphabetical systems were developed by speakers of
Semitic languages around 1700 BCE in the area of modern day Israel and Palestine. All written
languages predominately use one or other of the above systems. They may however partly use the
other systems. No written language is purely alphabetic, syllabic or logographic but may use elements
from any or all systems.
In order for there to be writing, three criteria must be met:
-the writing must consist of artificial graphical marks on a durable surface
-the purpose of the marks must be to communicate something
-the purpose must be achieved due to a conventional relationship between marks and language
Such fully developed writing only emerged after development from simpler systems. Talley sticks
with notches on them to represent a number of sheep or to record a debt have been used in the past.
Knotted strings have been used as a form of record keeping particularly in the area around the Pacific
Rim. They reached their greatest development with the Inca quipus where they were used to record
payment of tribute and to record commercial transactions. A specially trained group of quipu makers
and readers managed the whole system. The use of pictures for the purpose of communication was
used by native Americans and by the Ashanti and Ewe people in Africa. Pictures can show qualities
and characteristics which cannot be shown by tally sticks and knot records. They do not however
amount to writing as they do not bear a conventional relationship to language. Even so, the Gelb
dictum (from its originator Ignace Gelb), that “At the basis of all writing stands the picture” has been
widely accepted.
An alternative idea was that a system by which tokens, which represented objects like sheep,
were placed in containers and the containers were marked on the outside indicating the number and
type of tokens within the container, gave rise to writing in Mesopotamia. The marks on the outside of
the container were a direct symbolic representation of the tokens inside the container and an indirect
symbolic representation of the object the token represented. The marks on the outside of the
containers were graphically identical to some of the earliest pictograms used in Sumerian cuneiform.
However cuneiform has approximately 1,500 signs and the marks on the outside of the containers can
only explain the origins of a few of those signs.
The first written language was the Sumerian cuneiform. Writing mainly consisted of records
of numbers of sheep, goats and cattle and quantities of grain. Eventually clay tablets were used as a
writing surface and were marked with a reed stylus to produce the writing. Thousands of such clay
tablets have been found in the Sumerian city of Uruk. The earliest Sumerian writing consists of
pictures of the objects mentioned such as sheep or cattle. Eventually the pictures became more
abstract and were to consist of straight lines that looked like wedges.
The earliest cuneiform was an accounting system consisting of pictograms representing
commodities such as sheep and a number. The clay tablets found might for example simply state “ten
sheep”. Such writing obviously has its limitations and would not be regarded as a complete writing
system. A complete writing system only developed with the process of phonetization. This occurs
when the symbol ceases to represent an object and begins to represent a spoken sound, which in early
3. 3
cuneiform would be a word. This process was assisted when the symbols, which initially looked very
like the object they represented, gradually became more abstract and less clearly related to an object.
However, while the symbol became more closely connected to words, it was words dealing with
objects, such as sheep, bird or pot. It was still not possible to write more abstract ideas such as father,
running, speech or foreigner.
The solution to this problem was known as the rebus principle. Words with the same or
similar pronunciation to an abstract word could be used to represent the abstract word. The sign for
eye could be used to represent the word “I”. The sign for deer could represent the word “dear”. Which
word is referred to by the picture is decided by an additional sign. Pictographs which originally
represented a word began to represent the sound of the word. The rebus principle is used to represent
abstract words in all word writing systems in Sumer, Egypt, China, and in the Aztec and Mayan
writing in central America.
The Rebus principle led to cuneiform becoming a form of logo-syllabic writing consisting of
both logograms and syllabic writing. The effect of the change from logographic to logo-syllabic
writing was substantial. Logographic writing cannot produce normal prose and is restricted to nouns,
numbers, names and adjectives. The vast majority of early Sumerian writing consisted of bureaucratic
records of products received or products distributed. Only when syllabic writing was introduced into
cuneiform did it become possible to write prose such as myths and royal propaganda.
The next major development in writing in the old world was the development of the alphabet.
The alphabet was developed out of Egyptian hieroglyphs which contained 24 signs for 24 Egyptian
consonants. About 1700 BCE Semites who knew Egyptian hieroglyphs began making certain changes
in their writing system. They put the letters in a particular sequence and gave them simple names to
assist learning and ease of memory. They also dropped the logograms and other signs used in
hieroglyphs and just kept the Egyptian consonants and restricted the signs to those for individual
consonants. Finally they introduced vowels into their alphabet. Alphabets were soon to spread over
most of the world as they provide both flexibility and simplicity for a writing system.
Writing also developed independently in Meso-America about 650 BCE. The earliest Meso-
American writing seems to be logographic writing produced by the Olmecs. Later the Maya
developed a writing system that was partly logographic and partly syllabic. There are broad
similarities between the Maya writing and the logo-syllabic writing systems used in the old world.
Mayan syllabic signs are pictographs of objects whose pronunciation begins with that syllable which
is the same system used in early Semitic alphabets. The rebus principle is used for logograms for
abstract words as it is used in Sumerian cuneiform. Mayan syllabic signs were commonly signs for
syllables of a single constant and one vowel as in the Linear B writing system of Mycenaean Greece.
Similar problems which emerged while developing a writing system were solved in similar ways in
both the old world and the new world.
Writing developed both in the old and the new worlds as a movement from the simple to the
complex in the form of increasing abstraction. The simplest way to make a record of something is to
draw a picture of it, so that the earliest writing was logographic. However the limitations of
logographic writing were to result in the development of syllabic writing to allow for the writing of
prose and for a reduction in the number of signs used. The most difficult system to invent due to its
high level of abstraction was the alphabet system which was why it was the last system invented in
the old world and why it had not been invented in the new world by the time of the Spanish conquest.
Florian Coulmas in The Writing Systems of the World states:
“The general tendency of development is roughly from pictogram to alphabet via word writing first
and then syllabic writing.” (Coulmas, Florian (1989) The Writing Systems of the World, Basil
Blackwell, Oxford 34).
Later he states:
“Syllables are clearly more abstract and more difficult to conceive of than words, and accordingly
syllabic writing appears historically later than word writing.” (Ibid, 41).
Still later he states:
4. 4
“The alphabet is the logical conclusion of a development of ever increasing abstraction. As its units
are minute and highly abstract it is in principle, universally applicable. … It is a generally accepted
view that the alphabet is the teleological goal of the history of writing.” (Ibid. 47).
The move from logographic, to syllabic, to alphabetical writing was a move from the easiest
form of writing to invent to the most difficult form of writing to invent. The increasing difficulty is
caused by the increasing level of abstraction with the move from logographic, to syllabic and then to
alphabetic writing. However as the level of abstraction increases, the ease of use of the writing system
increases. This is because the number of signs used falls, with logographic systems typically
employing thousands of signs, syllabic systems anywhere from 50 to many hundreds and an
alphabetic system like the Roman alphabet, 26 signs. This is because the number of words in a
language always exceeds the number of syllables and the number of syllables will normally exceed
the number of phoneme, upon which alphabetic writing is based.
If writing, or a similar record keeping system like the Inca quiqu, had not been invented, then
it is doubtful whether states as a form of government could have existed. States such as the Aztec,
Inca or the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations require a bureaucracy and record keeping system
to account for the payment of taxation (in goods rather than money) and the distribution of produce to
government bureaucrats, soldiers and supporters. If writing did not exist, it would be difficult or
impossible to run or control any political entity larger than a chiefdom. Somewhere, as societies got
bigger and bigger, writing or a similar record keeping system is needed to control the administration
of the government of that society.
Bibliography:
Coulmas Florian (1989) The Writing Systems of the World, Basil Blackwell, Oxford
Fischer, Steven Roger (2001) A History of Writing, Reaktion Books, London
Sampson, Geoffrey (1985) Writing Systems, Hutchison, London
Senner, Wayne (ed) (1989) The Origins of Writing, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln