1.4. The Development of Writing

All societies have languages in which certain spoken sounds convey certain meanings. This is verbal communication. Writing too is verbal communication – but in a different way. When we talk about writing or a script, we mean that spoken sounds are represented in visible signs.

Writing serves the same purpose as spoken language but translates those sounds into visible symbols. This allows people to communicate across distances and over time, capturing their expressions in a more permanent form.

Think of writing as a photograph of spoken language. Just as a photograph captures a moment that can be remembered later, writing captures words and ideas, letting us revisit them anytime.

The first Mesopotamian tablets, written around 3200 BCE, contained picture-like signs and numbers. These were about 5,000 lists of oxen, fish, bread loaves, etc. – lists of goods that were brought into or distributed from the temples of Uruk, a city in the south.

Early writing began as a method to keep track of transactions, particularly for goods being exchanged in temples. This system of record-keeping was essential for managing the flow of products and ensuring fairness in trade.

Imagine having a shopping list for a party. Early writing was like that list, helping people remember what they had or needed, except it involved much larger quantities of products and transactions.

Mesopotamians wrote on tablets of clay. A scribe would wet clay and pat it into a size he could hold comfortably in one hand. He would carefully smoothen its surfaces. With the sharp end of a reed cut obliquely, he would press wedge-shaped (‘cuneiform’) signs on to the smoothened surface while it was still moist.

Writing in Mesopotamia involved creating a moldable surface with wet clay. Once shaped, scribes would imprint symbols into the surface, which would then harden and preserve these records. The term 'cuneiform' describes the wedge-like shape of the symbols.

Think of it as making a stamp in soft dough. You press a design into the dough, and when it hardens, you have a lasting impression—much like how cuneiform tablets held records for years.

By 2600 BCE or so, the letters became cuneiform and were used not only for keeping records but also for making dictionaries, giving legal validity to land transfers, narrating the deeds of kings, and announcing changes in customary laws.

Writing evolved to encompass more than just transaction records. It developed into a tool for law, literature, and governance, which helped formalize society and preserve its history and knowledge.

Consider a city meeting where the decisions and rules are written down. This ensures everyone remembers what was agreed upon, similar to how writing captured the rules and stories of ancient civilizations.

Very few Mesopotamians could read and write. Not only were there hundreds of signs to learn, many of these were complex. A letter from an official would have to be read out to the king...

Literacy was limited to a small elite class due to the complexity of the writing system. Most people relied on others to read for them, showing a significant divide in access to knowledge and power.

Think of it like being in a class where only a few students understand the complex subject. The others depend on these students for notes and explanations, creating a knowledge gap.

The connection between city life, trade and writing is brought out in a long Sumerian epic poem about Enmerkar, one of the earliest rulers of Uruk...

Writing facilitated trade by allowing for organized records of transactions and communications between different regions. The epic illustrates the role of writing in facilitating trade expeditions and managing resources.

Imagine receiving a delivery order via email for a big event. That document lays out everything needed for the delivery, similar to how early written records helped coordinate and manage trade interactions.

From 5000 BCE, settlements had begun to develop in southern Mesopotamia. The earliest cities emerged from some of these settlements. These were of various kinds: those that gradually developed around temples...

Temples and kings played crucial roles in the development of early cities. Temples served as economic centers where trade was organized, and kings utilized writing to maintain power and control the distribution of resources.

Think of a modern city hall where city planning, resources, and regulations are managed. The early temples operated similarly, organizing community needs and resources.

While moving narratives can be transmitted orally, science requires written texts that generations of scholars can read and build upon. Writing guaranteed the continuation of knowledge.

Writing's greatest legacy is its ability to preserve knowledge over time. It enabled scholars to accumulate and elaborate on previously recorded knowledge, thus advancing civilization.

Just like how textbooks carry educational knowledge from one generation to another, ancient writings allowed people to learn from the past, ensuring that important ideas and historical records were not lost.

--