The Earliest Forms Of Writing - 1432 Words

The Earliest Forms of Writing, A Better Understanding of History Writing is a key root in the history that we learn today. It serves as a very useful translator for historians. This is made possible as historians can use the first forms of writing-which derive from 3,500 BCE, to serve as a direct source of hearing a point of view from a witness of that time period. Writing began with pictographs, and emerged onto cuneiform, hieroglyphics, ideograms, and phonograms that were carried out by scribes. Writing served its purpose of developing a way to document trades and business accounts, cultural practices- especially those of religion, and government issues and orders. Writing of the past cultures serves as an essential factor in understanding the previous cultures, as the earliest forms of writing can indicate events of their causes, but what is left unsaid, can be interpreted as something which has derived from an earlier period of time. The different forms of writing display what the people’s values, needs, and expectations once were. Understanding history is much more clear as artifacts portray actual documentations of earlier cultures. The first form of writing, cuneiform, was a system of symbols that was used by Sumerians in order to represent and somewhat describe the type and amounts of goods traded. Cuneiform was simply a form of symbols, therefore it was a very vague description, but it served the purpose of establishing a form of documentation which was needed byShow MoreRelatedSumerians, Egyptians, and Chinese Contributions868 Words   |  4 Pagesyou know that Sumerians developed the world’s first form of writing? That many of todays household objects were invented or used by the ancient Egyptians (lock and keys, combs, scissors, wigs, makeup, deodorants, toothbrush and toothpaste)? Or that for the last 4,000 years China has been the oldest continuous civilization on Earth? The Sumerians, Egyptians, and Chinese created flourishing civilizations filled with many achievements in writing, architectu re, and technology that made lasting contributionsRead More Mesopotamia Urbanization Essay1389 Words   |  6 Pagessystem) .The two rivers provided everything the earliest civilizations needed in order to survive. The Sumerians, who were considered the greatest of the earliest civilizations, depended on the two rivers for food supply, water and a vehicle for their trade. The two rivers had a major impact on the earliest civilizations advancement in technology and agriculture. Also, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers contributed to the development of the earliest civilizations beliefs systems and values. Read MoreCuneiform Vs. Cuneiform : Cuneiform1199 Words   |  5 Pagesdevelopment of early writing methods? The answers to this questions lies in the uncovering of the past remains of our oldest deciphered evidence of writing: Cuneiform. Cuneiform is a style of writing that is the earliest known. The oldest archaeological evidence of it was found in the ancient city Uruk in Mesopotamia where they have unearthed nearly 4000 clay tablets. Their estimated age is dated to roughly 3000 BC; any more specific of a time frame is debated. Cuneiform was a style of writing written onRead MoreThe Invention Of Writing Is A Fundamental Pillar Of Human Interaction879 Words   |  4 Pagesvisual examples, that the invention of writing was the decisive turning point in the evolution of human growth. From primal hunter-gathers to functioning members of an ancient civilization, writing has acted more than a mere stepping stone in the technological and cultural advancement of mankind, writing is a fundamental pillar of human interaction. The essay will also convey how computers, when acting as the main medium of writing, write upon layers of more writing opposed to a slate, piece of paperRead MoreEssay on Writing and Technology1120 Words   |  5 PagesWriting and Technology The fact that we do not commonly feel the influence of writing on our thoughts shows that we have interiorized the technology of writing so deeply that without tremendous effort we cannot separate it from ourselves or even recognize its presence and influence (Ong, 317). In this modern age of computers, disposable pens, and mechanical pencils, it is easy to forget that at one time writing was not so simple or convenient. Most of us have . . . become so used toRead MoreRiver Valley Civilizations Essay726 Words   |  3 Pagescivilizations are one of the earliest societies in the world. The rises of these ancient river valley civilizations started the first cradle of civilization. The Indus Valley Civilization, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, and Ancient China are the earliest civilizations that were successful enough to make enough food for everybody. Every one of these civilizations had three things in common: they all had a special relationship with the river, they created their own writing system, and they all reliedRead MoreThe Mayan Civilization And The Maya Empire1677 Words   |  7 Pages The Mayan civilization or the Maya Empire, centered in the tropical lowlands of what is now Guatemala, reached the peak of its power and influence aroun d the sixth century A.D. The Maya excelled at agriculture, pottery, hieroglyph writing, calendar-making and mathematics, and left behind an astonishing amount of impressive architecture and symbolic artwork. Most of the great stone cities of the Maya were abandoned by A.D. 900. The Maya civilization was one of the most dominant indigenous societiesRead MoreEssay on Egyptian Mathematics664 Words   |  3 PagesEgyptians are one of the earliest known and most well documented people to inhabit the Earth. They were one of the first people to respond to practical needs within agriculture, business, and industry. Moreover, archaeological and historical artifacts suggest that the Egyptians were among the first to develop the study of mathematics. This paper will discuss the development of mathematics in ancient Egypt, focusing on the use of hieroglyphs, the decimal system, and hieratic writing and numerals to demonstrateRead MoreAncient Greeks And The Sumerians1143 Words   |  5 Pa gesSumerians, from 4800 to 1750BC, with 19 dynasties and 103 kings that developed into one of the earliest civilizations on earth. Their existence as a civilization was not even discovered until the middle of 1800AD. As a result of the ancient Greeks and Egyptians who wrote about the Babylonians most people did not realize that the Sumerians preceded the Babylonians. Furthermore, it was the Sumerians that developed writing, a religion and numerous agricultural methods, which continued on with the following civilizationsRead More What is Art? Essay845 Words   |  4 Pagesmean many different things to many different people and was one of the earliest ways in which man has expressed him or herself to others, whether it was through cave drawings or hieroglyphics. It does not begin or end with just drawing or painting, items typically considered art, or the many other recognized facets of art including architecture, drama, literature, sculpting, and music. The writing of Beowulf, one of the earliest known written prose, or the Greek plays which have influenced drama since