The World in 3300 BC

The world in 3300 BC

LANSAD

2023

Pauline Mateu Antoine Rougier Driss Vautier Antonin Veneau

L3 - History and Language sciences

Problematic

How and why did the writing appeared in different areas, and evolved to a complex phonetic system?

Index

4.

1.

III - Comparaison between different writings

Introduction

2.

I - Why did it appeared all around the world ?

A. Writing systems in China B. Writing systems in Mesoamerica C. Writing systems in the Near East

A. A first accounting use

3.

II - Uses of writing. How ?

A. Pictography : Writing as an accounting device B. Logography : Shift from Visual to Oral C. Alphabet : the segmentation of the sounds

5.

Conclusion

6.

Sources

1. Introduction

How to define writing? - system of graphic marks representing the units of a specific language – Where ? => Near East, China, and Mesoamerica - Cuneiform script => Mesopotamia, 3300 BC

We will discuss the evolution of writing from Tokens to :

Pictography

Syllabary

Alphabets

I - Why did it appeared all around the world ?

A - A first accounting use

Mesopotamian cuneiform consisted in : - a counting system - clay tokens and tablets

The development of writing and numeracy in the city State of Uruk corresponds to : - the growing need to manage the trade networks => for trading purposes

Clay tablet and a stylus used to write

Writing emerged from counting and accounting

Writing was not only used for administration purposes

in Meso-America

in Egypt

• 1st signs of writing : calendars
• served to the elite interest
• recent studies think that served for royal rituals and spiritual purposes

• 1st signs of writing : tags attached to graves on royal tombs
• served to the elite interest
• not enough developed to "express thoughts in a fully phonetic manner"
• => could not serve for administration purposes

Small ivory label from the tomb of Neithhotep

The mesoamerican calendar

Tags found in tomb U-j representing the temple of Hierakonpolis :

Administrative tablet excavated in Uruk, dated to the Uruk III (ca. 3200-3000 BC)

Writing :- appeared at different times - for different purposes (economy, spirituality...)

But remember : archeological materials to study early civilisations = lacunar => can't give us a full vision of what were those societies

II-Uses of writing. How ?

Writing as an accounting device :

A. Pictography: Writing as an Accounting Device

3200 BC

in Sumer and Elam

mainly used for accounting

What is a pictogram ?

tokens marked on envelopes to pay for goods

- first known writing system - a symbol - represents a word/phrasse - to communicate - simplified style - basis for structured written languages

Clay envelope and its content

II-Uses of writing. How ?

B. Logography : Shift from Visual to Oral

Funerary texts

After 400 years :

The pictographic system evolved into a basic logographic system

- one of the 1st text that does not concern accounting - written the name of the deceased on tombs

Logogram :

- a written/pictoral symbol - represent a word/phrase

- patronymics added : name of a temple/god - plea for life after death

- are used to represent words with pictures

What the creation of phonemes brought :

writing used for other reasons than accounting => names -> transcribed with the use of logograms

- most important words : had their own cuneiform signs - 1000 signs of logograms - "word-pictures" developed into cuneiform

Abugida

Alphabet

VS

C. Alphabet : the segmentation of the soundsl]

Alphabet = a set of graphs used to represent the phonemic structure of a language

The very first alphabet :

dated between 19th and 16th century BC

comes from Egypt

a simplification of hieroglyphs (only 23 symbols)

only represents the consonants

III. Comparaison between different writings

A. Writing systems in China

Oracle texts :

Earliest Chinese inscriptions :

1400-1200 BC Shang Dynasty

Divinatory writings to communicate with : - the spirits - the deities - the ancestors - largest written source of the Shang dynasty - contain one to more than 1000 characters - 4000 differents spellings

Oracle texts engraved on animals bones and tortue shells

King Tang of Shen

Map of the Shang Empire

B. Writing systems in Mesoamerica

Who were the Olmecs ?

The Olmec hieroglyphs :

- the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization - flourished during 1500 BCE to 400 BCE - located in the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco

- system of writing / proto-writing

- developed within the Olmec culture

Colossal head of a Olmec

Veracruz

Tabasco

Evidence of the existence of a writing system during the Olmec period :

Cascajal block (approx. 900 BC) => 62 glyphs

- Potential text- 62 signs made communication possible

Localization of Cascajal

The subsequent Epi-Olmec culture

- 300 BCE to 250 CE - successor culture to the Olmec - had a full-fledged writing system ⤷ the Isthmian script

Mollis donec lectus pharetra convallis vestibulum 30%

he Isthmian script

The olmecs are considered as mother culture

C. Writing systems in the Near East

The 4 phases of evolution of the Mesopotamian cuneiform script

1 : Clay tokens : used for accounting (8000 - 3500 BC) b : Pictographic signs : accounting (3500 - 3000 BC) c : Phonetic signs : turning point (3000 - 1500 BC) d : Alphabet : segmentation of meaning

1 : Clay tokens : used for accounting (8000 - 3500 BC) b : Pictographic signs : accounting (3500 - 3000 BC) c : Phonetic signs : turning point (3000 - 1500 BC) d : Alphabet : segmentation of meaning

Tablet with proto-cuneiform pictographic characters (end of 4th millennium BC)

5. Conclusion

The history of writing is complex

Writing did not only appeared in the Old World

Writing systems in the world are diverse

There is still much more to discover. Perhaps it will change our perception of prehistoric cultures.

6. Sources

• https://sites.utexas.edu/dsb/tokens/the-evolution-of-writing/

• https://www.britannica.com/topic/alphabet-writing

• https://www.worldhistory.org/alphabet/

• https://ufinbeijing.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/china-at-the-beginning-the-shang-dynasty/

• https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/the-history-of-writing-tracing-the-development-of-expressing-language-by-systems-of-markings

• https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Cuneiform_script

• https://hcommons.org/deposits/objects/hc:28500/datastreams/CONTENT/content

• https://sites.utexas.edu/dsb/tokens/the-evolution-of-writing/

Thank you for your attention

Any questions?