History of the Written Word

Introduction

• Discusses the history of the concept of writing, not just history of people or places.
• Writing is a foundational technology enabling transmission of thoughts across generations, facilitating communication and understanding.

Origins in Ancient Sumer

• First widespread use of writing began in ancient Sumer.
• Sumer had the world's first real cities, with tens of thousands of people.
  • Cities were bound by specific gods' veneration.
  • Temples were central, serving as warehouses storing wealth.
• Temples required record-keeping for the economy.
  • Clay tablets were used to mark quantities of items like grain.
  • Early writing involved tally marks and pictograms, evolving into abstract symbols.

Development of Symbols

• Drawings like a grain stalk simplified over generations into symbolic representations.
• Symbols began to represent words, not just objects.
  • A symbol for "cow" could mean both the animal and the word "cow."
• Sumerian language characteristics aided this transition.
  • Many Sumerian words are monosyllabic.
  • Syllables used as building blocks for new words and ideas.

Evolution of Writing Techniques

• Writing medium (clay tablets) impacted writing direction: top to bottom to left to right.
• Scribes rotated characters for easier reading.
• Characters became abstracted from original pictograms, evolving into a real writing system.
  • Writing adopted by neighboring Akkadians and Elamites, adding determinatives.

Legacy of the Sumerian Script

• Original pictures and pictograms abstracted into wedge-shaped impressions.
• Enabled complex literary works like "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and "Enûma Eliš."

Preservation and Independent Development

• Clay tablets preserved writings when burned.
• Writing developed independently in Mesoamerica and possibly China.
  • Debate exists on independent development in the Indus Valley and Egypt.

Conclusion

• Writing is a gift from Sumer that has endured for over 5,500 years.
• Potential for future discussions on the history of ideas, such as the development of the Alphabet.