How many words do you read in a day? With text everywhere, it’s easy to take writing for granted. But did you know that the world’s earliest known writing system first appeared in Mesopotamia, what we know as southern Iraq, around 3200 BC? It’s called cuneiform, Latin for “wedge-shaped,” because a reed stylus was used to impress wedges into wet clay tablets to record temple holdings and transactions, such as the number of animals in a herd, for example. Within a few hundred years, cuneiform writing spread throughout southern Iraq.
No longer just for record-keeping but for correspondence in business and political communications, including hymns that celebrated the gods. From these developments came scribes trained in the art of reading and writing, many of who worked for temples and palaces. Cuneiform texts—a reliable “written” history of ancient peoples for us to study and understand.
No longer just for record-keeping but for correspondence in business and political communications, including hymns that celebrated the gods. From these developments came scribes trained in the art of reading and writing, many of who worked for temples and palaces. Cuneiform texts—a reliable “written” history of ancient peoples for us to study and understand.
Share
More Book Minute Features
February 10, 2020
Charles A. Tindley
Charles Albert Tindley, whose father was a slave, became one of the prolific gospel songwriters of his time!
Although he didn’t attend school, he l...
February 03, 2020
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley, born on this date in 1811, served in Congress, ran for president, helped organize the Republican Party, and founded The New York Tribu...
January 27, 2020
The Washington Monument and Exodus 28:36
The Washington Monument, at 555 feet, is the tallest public structure in Washington, DC, and is located on the National Mall. It took thirty-six years...