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Ancient wedgies: cuneiform and the origins of writing

Ancient wedgies: cuneiform and the origins of writing. The Origin of Cuneiform Signs. Tokens: The First Book Keeping System A. What are Tokens B. How They Were Used. The Origin of Cuneiform Signs. The Development of Writing A. Denise Schmandt-Besserat

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Ancient wedgies: cuneiform and the origins of writing

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  1. Ancient wedgies:cuneiform and the origins of writing

  2. The Origin of Cuneiform Signs • Tokens: The First Book Keeping System A. What are Tokens B. How They Were Used

  3. The Origin of Cuneiform Signs • The Development of Writing A. Denise Schmandt-Besserat • Before Writing: Vol. 1: From Counting to Cuneiform. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1992. • How Writing Came About. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1996.

  4. The Origin of Cuneiform Signs • The Development of Writing B. From Ball to Tablet

  5. The Origin of Cuneiform Signs II. The Development of Writing C. Signs that Originated as Tokens

  6. The Origin of Cuneiform Signs • The Development of Writing D. Signs that Originated as Pictures

  7. The Origin of Cuneiform Signs • The Development of Writing E. Pictures to Tokens to Signs?

  8. The Origin of Cuneiform Signs • The Development of Writing F. When it Becomes Cuneiform • At first, the images were drawn with the pointed end of the stylus • Cuneiform: the images are created when the edge of the stylus is impressed in the clay

  9. Evolution of Cuneiform Signs Uruk IV c. 3200 Jemdet Nasr c. 3100-2900 Ur III 2112-2004 Neo-Assyrian 1st millennium god place person woman foreign female slave head mouth food

  10. How Cuneiform Signs Were Used I. Logograms: Word Signs ig = “door” lu = “person, human” šu = “hand” dingir = “god” gish = “wood, tree” du = “to go”

  11. How Cuneiform Signs Were Used II. The Movement to Syllabograms: Sound Signs Sumerian ig šu du Akkadian daltu qatu alaku = “door” ik - šu - du ikšudu = “they conquered” = “hand” = “to go”

  12. How Cuneiform Signs Were Used III Determinatives A. Definition • Signs that do NOT represent a spoken word or sound, but indicate the class of object to which the word belongs

  13. How Cuneiform Signs Were Used III Determinatives B. Determinatives that Precede their Word Before names of cities Before names of men Before professions Before names of gods Before names of countries Before objects made of wood

  14. How Cuneiform Signs Were Used • Determinatives C. Determinatives that Follow their Word After names of regions & countries After names of types of birds After names of types of fish

  15. How Cuneiform Signs Were Used • Homophony & Polyphony A. Homophony • When several signs have the same sound • To distinguish signs, subscripted numbers are used to indicate which sign is representing that sound = gu = gu3 = gu4 = gu2

  16. How Cuneiform Signs Were Used • Homophony & Polyphony B. Polyphony • When one sign has many values = ka, zu2, gu3, dug4, du11, inim, kiri3……. = ud, tam, u4, utu, babbar, zalag, lih, lah, hiš……..

  17. The Media of Cuneiform I. Tablets

  18. The Media of Cuneiform II. Inscriptions

  19. The Media of Cuneiform III. Writing Boards (le’u)

  20. The Media of Cuneiform • Writing Boards (le’u)

  21. Ashur-nasir-pal Inscription Ashur-nasir-pal II (883-859 B.C.) Palace of Kalhu

  22. Ashur-nasir-pal Inscription Ashur-nasir-pal II (883-859 B.C.) Palace of Kalhu

  23. Ashur-nasir-pal Inscription Ashur-nasir-pal II (883-859 B.C.) Palace of Kalhu

  24. Ashur-nasir-pal Inscription Ashur-nasir-pal II (883-859 B.C.) Palace of Kalhu: Room S

  25. Ashur-nasir-pal Inscription Ashur-nasir-pal II (883-859 B.C.) The Standard Inscription

  26. Ashur-naşir-pal Inscription Ashur-nasir-pal II (883-859 B.C.) The Standard Inscription

  27. Ashur-naşir-pal Inscription

  28. Ashur-naşir-pal Inscription:Line 1 E GAL aš-šur – PAP - A SANGA aš-šur ni - šit DINGIR BE u DINGER MAŠ na - ra - am Ekkal aššur - nașir - apli šang aššur nišit Enlil u Ninurta naram Palace of Ashurbanipal high-priest of Ashur chosen of Enlil and Ninurta beloved of ……. = logograms (word-signs) = determinatives = syllabograms (sound-signs)

  29. Ashur-naşir-pal Inscription:Line 2 eț - lu qar - du ša ina GIŠ.TUKUL- ti aš-šur EN – šu DU - DU - ku ețlu qardu ša ina tukulti aššur belišu illaku youngman heroic who in the confidence of Ashur his lord goes forth = logograms (word-signs) = determinatives = syllabograms (sound-signs)

  30. Ashur-naşir-pal Inscription:Line 3 gap - šu ša ma - hi - ra la - a TUK - u2 MAN mu - šak - niš gapšu ša mahira la išu šarru mušakniš Swelling who an opponent does not have, the king making submit = logograms (word-signs) = determinatives = syllabograms (sound-signs)

  31. Ugaritic: An Alphabetic Cuneiform Script I. The City of Ugarit, 1600-1200 B.C.

  32. Ugaritic: An Alphabetic Cuneiform Script II. The Script = A = D = Y = N = Q = I = H = K = Ż = R = U = W = Š = S = TH = B = Z = L = ´ = Ġ Word divider = G = ̦H = M = P = T = Ś = KH = DH = Ş = Ţ

  33. Ugaritic: An Alphabetic Cuneiform Script

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