Cuneiform script

Cuneiform script is one of the earliest systems of writing, distinguished by its wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets, made by means of a blunt reed for a stylus. The name cuneiform itself simply means "wedge-shaped", from the Latin cuneus "wedge" and forma "shape". Emerging in Mesopotamia around 3200 BC, cuneiform was initially developed to write the Sumerian language.

History

Cuneiform writing began as a system of pictographs. Over time, the pictorial representations became simplified and more abstract. The script evolved from a system of pictographs to a complex system of ideograms and phonetic signs. By the late 4th millennium BC, the script had evolved to include phonetic elements, allowing it to be used to write multiple languages.

The earliest cuneiform tablets were found in the Uruk region of southern Mesopotamia and date to around 3200 BC. These early tablets were primarily used for accounting and record-keeping. As the script evolved, it was adapted to write the Akkadian language, and later other languages such as Elamite, Hittite, and Old Persian.

Structure and Usage

Cuneiform script is composed of a combination of logographic and syllabic elements. The script was written on clay tablets, which were then baked or left to dry in the sun. The wedge-shaped marks were made by pressing a stylus into the clay at different angles and depths.

The script was used for a variety of purposes, including administrative records, legal documents, literature, and scholarly texts. Notable works written in cuneiform include the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Code of Hammurabi.

Decipherment

The decipherment of cuneiform began in the 19th century. The key to understanding cuneiform was the discovery of the Behistun Inscription, a multilingual inscription that included Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian cuneiform. Scholars such as Henry Rawlinson and Georg Friedrich Grotefend played significant roles in deciphering the script.

Legacy

Cuneiform script had a profound impact on the development of writing systems in the ancient world. It influenced the development of other scripts, such as the Ugaritic alphabet and the Old Persian cuneiform. Although cuneiform fell out of use by the end of the 1st century AD, its legacy endures in the study of ancient languages and cultures.

See also

• Sumerian language
• Akkadian language
• Epic of Gilgamesh
• Code of Hammurabi
• Behistun Inscription

References

• Kramer, Samuel Noah. The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character. University of Chicago Press, 1963.
• Cooper, Jerrold S. Sumerian and Akkadian Cuneiform Texts. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2006.

External links

• Cuneiform at Encyclopædia Britannica
• Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative