1.6 Inventing Writing - T -

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1

AGE 1. The Time of Hunters and Farmers

1.6 Inventing Writing

theory

- T -

This lesson is the link between Age 1 and Age 2

What is this lesson about?

Merchants in Sumer started to write down what they traded. The signs they used are called cuneiform and it was soon picked up by priests and people in surrounding countries. The Egyptians developed their own way of writing: hieroglyphs. Writing helps us to remember and to share knowledge. The invention of writing marks the end of prehistory and the start of history.

We also learn about a new category of sources:

• primary sources
• secondary sources

What you can explain /  do after this lesson

• that both the Sumerians and Egyptians were able to write, ending prehistory
• who were able to write in Egypt and Sumer
• explain why writing was developed and why this is an important invention
• explain what primary and secondary sources are and give examples of both.

Word Duty

Rosetta Stone: tablet which was used to decipher Egyptian writing

Cuneiform: Sumerian way of writing with symbols and lines

Gilgamesh: legendary king of Uruk, whose adventures are written down in an epic

Hieroglyphs: Egyptian form of writing in which drawings are used instead of letters

Papyrus: plant, the stems of which were used to write on

Scribe: someone who writes as his job

Civil servant: someone who works for the government

Antiquity: time period in history during which people invented writing and the first civilisations arose

Sources: remains from the past that historians use to learn more about that past. After this lesson you need to be able to identify (and give examples of) these types of sources:

             - written and non-written sources

             - primary and secondary sources

KEY WORDS

Introduction

The ancient Sumerians developed writing. This new discovery made it possible to record trade agreements, laws and taxes. With the start of writing, prehistory ends and history begins.

It also means the end of Age 1 and the beginning of Age 2

source 1.6.0

Sumerian scribes (writers) at work. Modern day illustration.

Unravelling an ancient secret

In 1799 a very special stone was discovered. Known as the Rosetta Stone, it contained the key to solve one of the biggest mysteries in history: the translation of Egyptian writings. The Frenchman Champollion was able to crack the code. He was the first to read the script in thousands of years. It is said that he was so happy about his discovery that he ran through the streets of Paris. He shouted and cheered until he fell down in a coma. But why was this translation of Egyptian writing so important? And how was this writing developed? Let us try to find the answer to these questions.

Even in our modern time, some people are still hunter-gatherers. For example, Indian tribes in the Amazon, the San in Africa and the aboriginals in Australia.

source 1.6.1

Portret of Jean-François Champollion, made in 1831 by Léon Cogniet

The French general Napoleon was fascinated by the ancient Egyptians. In 1798, he led a campaign to the country in order to interrupt the British trade with India. Along with his army, Napoleon brought many scientists to study monuments. On this campaign they found the Rosetta Stone.

source 1.6.1

Portret of Jean-François Champollion, made in 1831 by Léon Cogniet

source 1.6.2

The Rosetta Stone, made in 196 BC. It measures 112 by 75 by 28 centimetres. The stone was found in 1799 near the place Rosetta in Egypt by French soldiers.

Who could write?

The Sumerians were not only interested in farming and trade. To them, magic and religion were also very important. They had all kinds of spells to protect themselves against illnesses given to them by demons and gods. Sumerian priests used cuneiform to write down these spells. They also recorded stories that had been told for hundreds of years. An example of such a story is of a king named Gilgamesh. He made the city of Uruk very powerful. During his adventures he also had to challenge monsters and gods. The whole story was written 4,000 years ago, but you can still find it in your library!

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Clay tablet. the story of Gilgamesh and Aga. 2003-1595 BCE.

The story of Gilgamesh

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modern graphic novel of the story of Gilgamesh

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modern animation telling the story of Gilgamesh

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Ancient Mesopotamian terracotta relief (c. 2250 — 1900 BC) showing Gilgamesh slaying the Bull of Heaven, an episode described in Tablet VI of the Epic of Gilgamesh

Writers in ancient Egypt

The ancient Egyptians were inspired by the Sumerians and developed their own way of writing. They made small drawings which we call hieroglyphs. They wrote on the walls of temples and graves, but also on the stems of the papyrus plant.

Thanks to the use of hieroglyphs, a new profession emerged in Egypt: the scribe. Some children learned to write at school. When they grew older they were hired by the pharaoh to work for him. These young scribes then became civil servants. Nowadays writing might seem normal to you, but in ancient Egypt it was really special. When the son of a rich farmer was able to go to school to become a writer, his family would be very proud.

Even in our modern time, some people are still hunter-gatherers. For example, Indian tribes in the Amazon, the San in Africa and the aboriginals in Australia.

source 1.6.7

Statue of an Egyptian scribe (c. 2600 BC).

The Egyptians used the inside of the papyrus to make paper. With the outside of the plant they made boats and mats. In this way they didn’t have to throw anything away.

source 1.6.8

Hieroglyphs on a temple wall in Egypt.

source 1.6.9

The process of turning a papyrus plant into papyrus. Modern illustration

Why is writing so special?

The discovery of writing marks the end of Prehistory and the start of Antiquity. From this moment we talk about history because we have written sources. Before writing, the people had to speak to each other if they wanted to learn or trade. It is thanks to writing that it is possible to share knowledge without direct contact with another person. It also is not necessary to remember everything because you can write it down and read it again later. You can even save your knowledge for others and they can expand your ideas. Nowadays we can still read the thoughts of the people of ancient Sumer and Egypt. We can read what their names were, what they believed in, how they felt and what they did in their lives.

source 1.6.10

Writing didn’t only develop in Sumer and Egypt; this also happened on the island of Crete, in the Indus valley civilisation and in China, where people developed their own way of writing (present-day drawing).

In China the priests wrote on turtle shells.

primary sources

&

secondary sources

Primary sources come from the time the historian is studying. They can be written or non-written. 

Some primary sources for the First World War would be: letters and diaries written by soldiers, their uniforms and their weapons. 

Buildings, archaeological remains, paintings and objects are all valuable primary sources.

Secondary sources do not come directly from the events they discuss. They are sources based on other sources. Books about the First World War by modern historians, or school textbooks about the First World War (see picture), are examples of secondary sources. 

The author of this book about World War 1 has used many primary sources (both written and non-written) for his book.

This is a page from the diary of Anne Frank. Anne wrote her diary between 1942 and 1944. The diary is an important written primary source for people studying the life of Jewish people during World War 2.

This is not the original diary. It is a printed copy, translated in English. But because it contains the exact words of Anne Frank's diary (although translated into another language) it still is a written primary source.

congratulations