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Definition
Writing
Writing is the physical manifestation of a spoken language. It is thought that human beings developed language c. 35,000 BCE as evidenced by cave paintings from the period of the Cro-Magnon Man (c. 50,000-30,000 BCE) which appear to express...

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Cuneiform Archaic Signs
Since very ancient inscriptions would often come to light during building and restoration work, Mesopotamian scribes possessed some understanding of the pictographic origin of their script. The text on this clay tablet is an attempt to provide...

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Hymn to Nisaba
The Hymn to Nisaba (c. 3rd millennium BCE) is a poem praising Nisaba, the Sumerian goddess of writing and accounts who also served as scribe of the gods. The poem is officially dedicated to Enki, the god of wisdom (sometimes given as her...

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Bronze Figurine with Babylonian Cuneiform Inscription from Western Iran
Bronze figurine with Babylonian cuneiform inscription found in Luristan Province, c. 1000-900 BCE (Iron Age II), National Museum of Iran, Tehran, inv. no. 1408. Photo by Neda Tehrani (Baloot Noghrei) The cultural influence of Mesopotamia...

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Interior Cuneiform of Gold Earring, Ur III
The interior hollow surface of the earring. Note how the carved cuneiform signs appear on this side and how the goldsmith joined the “lunar-shaped” segments of the earring. One of a pair of gold earrings, 24 carats. Gift from Shulgi to a...

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Cuneiform Clay Tablets from Kanesh
Clay tablets with cuneiform letters found at Kültepe in central Turkey (ancient Kanesh), 1900 BCE – 1700 BCE. They were all written by merchants who, from around 1900 BCE, had come to Kanesh from the city of Ashur in Assyria and established...

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Cuneiform on Gold Earrings from Ur III
Both earrings are placed in a mirror-image position, with the lower surfaces facing each other. Each earring is composed of nine lunar-shaped segments forming a flattened half- ball. The cuneiform signs run vertically from above downward...

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Cracking Ancient Codes: Cuneiform Writing - with Irving Finkel
Writing is generally agreed to be among the greatest inventions in human history, perhaps the greatest invention, since it made history possible. Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe You can read more about...

Video
Cuneiform Hand-Me-Downs - how Sumerian outlived its speakers
My favorite example of how odd Cuneiform became as it was passed from civilization to civilization. Thanks, rampant Sumerianization! Cuneiform languages took Sumerian very seriously, even after it was long dead. That’s how Akkadian and...

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Newly Discovered Tablet II of the Epic of Gilgamesh
This is the newly discovered Tablet II of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The upper surface is the obverse. The image was intentionally shot focusing on the center because the tablet has not been published yet. The cuneiform text has been transliterated...