Comparative Cultures

Mass Cultural Council Creative Schools

Professional Development Grant Year 2

Where are you in Social Studies ?

Review of Tech Assets

WGBHAll Powerpoint lessons available on

Kimberley's WebsiteLinked Portaportal

Civilization Hallmark

Neolithic Ancient Mesopotamia

Phoenicia China

Monumental Architecture

Mounds Ziggurat

Agriculture Agricultural revolution

Irrigation canals

Religion Goddess statues Bestow kings with power

Warfare unknown Destroyed Jerusalem

Technology pottery bronze

Trade Grain Surplus Grain surplus

Artisans sculptures weavers

Writing Map & drawings Cuneiform Alphabet Calligraphy

Out of the Euphrates: Origins of Writing

Mass Cultural Council Creative Schools

Professional Development Grant Year 2

Petrographs to Pictographs

Most languages were never written down Spoken language predates written language The earliest 'writing'

pictographic symbols Pictographs date to at least 5000 BCE

Ideographic / logographic

First true writing system date 3500 BC

they consist of logographic or logophonetic symbols etched on clay tablets

abstract form of writing represent ideas and abstract objects

The best way to think of an ideographic system is that each symbol represents a word

Egyptian is both logographic and logophonetic

syllabic system

Syllabary each symbol represents a syllable

Less symbols required to write the language

Japanese (the Katakana Syllabary) has seventy-five basic symbols, three of which combine to form an additional thirty-six symbols.

alphabetic

Last writing system developed Each symbol represents a sound Roman Alphabet

English, Spanish, French, German, Cyrillic Alphabet

Greek, Russian and many languages of Eastern Europe Arabic and Hebrew are also alphabetic the earliest alphabetic system we know of is

from modern-day Syria North Semitic language group

Theories on the advent of writing

invention for complex cultures with large populations record keeping to correctly count agricultural products for keeping the calendar to plant crops at the correct time religious purpose i.e.: divination, communicating with deities socio-political functions i.e.: reinforcing power of the ruling elite

Writing was invented independently Mesopotamia, China, and Mesoamerica Recent discoveries suggest that writing was invented in Egypt

and Indus independently of Mesopotamia

Writing, Creation and the Gods

Sumerian god Enlil was the creator of writing

Assyrian and Babylonian god Nabu was credited as the inventor of writing and

scribe of the gods

Similar to the Egyptian god Thoth, Mesopotamian scribal gods also exhibit the

power of creation via divine speech

Cuneiform denotes not one but several kinds of writing systems

Sumerian Akkadian/Assyrian/Babylonian (Eastern Semitic) Elamite Eblaite Hittite Hurrian Utartian Ugaritic

8000 BCE Prehistoric

3500-3000 BCE

Proto-literate, Sumer (Uruk) 

3000-2350  BCE

Early Dynastic 

2350-2200  BCE

Old Akkadian 

2100-2000  BCE

Ur III or  Neo-Sumerian 

2000-1600 BCE

Old Babylonian 

2000-1400 BCE 

Old Assyrian 

1600-1100 BCE

Kassite 

1400-1000 BCE

Middle Assyrian 

1000-612 BCE

Neo Assyrian 

625-539 BCE Neo Babylonian 

539-331 BCE Persian 

331 BCE -250 BCE

Hellenistic

Bullae and Tokens

Part of a number system Bulla find from Nuzi (Northern Iraq) Dated to1600 B.C.E. Contained 49 small tokens The lengthy cuneiform inscription on

the outside translates to: 21 ewes 6 female lambs 8 adult rams 4 male lambs 6 female goats 1 male goat 3 female kids

The Seal of the shepherd

Cylinder Seals make a repeating pattern

This tablet is one of the earliest on record Records the transfer of 300 acres of land between two parties. illustrates the transition from token oriented record keeping to cuneiform. The tablet is divided into 3 columns, which are further subdivided in panels. Solid lines mark both the columns and the panels. Reading begins at the top left (column 1), moves down the three panels on

that side. and continues around the bottom edge and on to the reverse side.

The text picks up again on the front at the top of column 2, which continues down and around to the back. Column 3 does the same.

Column 1 describes the acquisition of 180 iku (63.5 hectares) of land by a person or temple household of a deity.

Columns 2 and 3 describe how the 180 iku is divided into 4 fields. The round holes in the tablet count the bur (or field size).

The Philadelphia Tablet Found near Baghdad, Iraq

3100-2900 BC

The Round School Tablet

Babylonian city of Nippur Hammurabi Dynasty "lentil" or "bun" shape 4 rows of signs on the front of the tablet.

The teacher inscribed the signs in rows 1 and 2. The student then copied the text into rows 3 and 4. Sumerian signs were already 1000 years old The signs in row 1 were pronounced gi-gur

"reed basket." Row 2 reads gi-gur-da

large reed basket. This lesson was both for handwriting and vocabulary.

The Key to Deciphering Cuneiform: inscriptions on a cliff

Sir Henry Rawlinson found inscriptions on a cliff at Behistun in 1835

Translated to the King Darius of Persia (522-486 BC)

identical texts in three languages: Old Persian, Babylonian and Elamite

After translating the Persian, Rawlinson began to decipher the others. By 1851 he could read 200 Babylonian signs

Cylinder Seals

Developed as part of Ancient Near Eastern numerological system tokens and bulla: perhaps representing barley and wheat later these were flattened out and became pillow tablets

Amulet-like cylinders worn on cords Depictions of mythological events and mighty deities bring the

wearer under the protection of personal deity Personal identity

many temples had seals Priests or administrators had seals for their positions

each individual clan or tribe had their own seal individual family member seals

The impressions are the important research aid depictions are regionally specific inscriptions and pictures showing dress styles, mythology and kings.

Archaeological Record

Cylinder Seals were made of wood, bone, stone, faience, and ivory Which do you think

survived?

Found buried with owners

Millions of sealings Less Cylinder Seals

Earliest Cylinder Seals

Early Sumerian steatite seal showing a god in a boat with a river scene of reeds and plants, birds or chevrons, star of divinity, three dots and an early inscription in a panel that is turned 90 degrees.

The script is nearly pictographic, and the short, wide seal form is more characteristic of Jemdat Nasr than the Dynastic period. The

engraving style is also in a Jemdat Nasr wheel-cut style.

Sumerian Period

Uruk Period

Neo-Assyrian Period Banquet scene.

Serpentine cylinder seal and impression

Akkadian Period

Property and Personal Identity

Cylinder seals occupy a 3000 year time frame closely linked to the use of cuneiform.

Some examples carved to look like the distal end of a bone

The stones are rounded to allow a repeating pattern over a large or small area

Seals can be made of any stone Uruk period they were of softer stones such gypsum, later they were

made of harder stones. Lapis attests to trade between the Afghanistan area and Mesopotamia

They are carved in the reverse of cameo called intaglio. Seals are considered rare and a fine art form

Personal Identity

First time individuals can be identified Owner wore on bracelet or necklace Seals can tell a story

I am Anu, son of Enki, servant of Uttu Ianna, intercedes on my behalf

Some known identities: Scribe, Female Scribe, Weaver, Stone Cutter, Accountant, Metalworker

“Nintur, Shepherd”

What did they Seal?

Clay tablets & envelopes Doors Storage jars Bales of commodities Cloth

Worn as amulets Signed legal contracts

How did they do it?

Carved in reverse, so it will read correctly when rolled out

Carved into the cylinder – intaglioA pattern repeats when rolled on wet clay

Modern Cylinder Seals Iranian artist Ahmad Nadalian

Tools for making your seal

Air-dry clayPlastic knifeTooth pickPlastic strawWooden skewerScissors12-18 inch length of cord

Design Time

You have five minutes to lay-out a design for your seal on the worksheet

Remember that the carvings are reversedThink about your identity and what you

want the seal to say about youYou can use letters, pictures, numbers,

designs or any combination

Method for making seals

Roll out clay to make it smooth give shapePunch into clayCrave out clayIncise clayPress into clayThey are carved into the stone called

intaglio.

Make your Cylinder Seal

Cut piece of clay

Roll clay into shape and form small cylinder

Decorate cylinder - letters are formed in reverse, scenes, motifs

Pierce clay with wooden skewer

Let dry overnight

Thread cord through straw

Remove stray leaving the cord in place

Roll out your seal in paint on paper.

Looting in modern Iraq

Larsa Sumerian capital

Phoenician

Ugaritic

Written in a alphabetic cuneiform Clay tablets written in Ugaritic provided the

first evidence of the "modern" ordering of letters

This writing system was employed in the city of Ugarit, located in western Syria from around 1300 BCE

Epigraphy

Punic Neo-Punic Phoenician proper Late Phoenician cursive Phoenician papyrus Siloam Hebrew Hebrew seals Ammonite Moabite Proto-Canaanite

Phoenician alphabet

developed from North Semitic prototype was in use until about the 1st century BCE trade spreads alphabet

All corners of the Mediterranean ancestor of the Greek alphabet

of all Western alphabets. Phoenician colonial scripts

Cypro-Phoenician (10th-2nd century BCE) Sardinian (c. 9th century BCE) varieties Punic and neo-Punic alphabets of Carthage, > 3rd century CE

Punic was a monumental script and neo-Punic a cursive form

no vowels

22-character alphabet no vowels are usedearly inscriptions ran on continuously with

no division between the wordsc. 1000 – 700 BC some words have points

or vertical strokes to divide themc. 700 BC words separated by spacesAramaic script replaced old Phoenician

Coffin Lid of King

The earliest Phoenician inscription Ahiram epitaph at Byblos in Phoeniciadating from the 11th century BCE written in North Semitic alphabet

Trade Records & alphabet

efficient method of keeping recordspen, ink papyrus, parchment and paperwax-writing tablet was found in an ancient

Uluburun shipwreck (Canaanite Phoenician)

http://sara.theellisschool.org/~shipwreck/ulusplash.html

Uluburun shipwreck

http://sara.theellisschool.org/~shipwreck/artifactgallery/ekw737.html

737 Found K15 on map

diptych

       

Alphabet Tables

Phoenician Latin (passed via Etruscans to Roman

Alphabet)

 Sign Names in Phoenician, Arabic &

Hebrew Meaning Phone Latin History

                   Aleph OxA

laryngealconsonent

A

Around 1700 B.C. this letter was used to represent alryngeal consonant ('), or glotal stop. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed its form, changed its name to Alpha and made the sign stand for the vowel A.

                  Beth, Bait  HouseB

consonantB

Around 1700 B.C. this letter was used to represent b consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and inverted/reversed its form, changed its name to Beta and made the sign stand for the consonant B.

                   Gimel, Gamel CamelG

consonantC,G

Around 1700 B.C. this letter was used to represent g consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed/curved its form, changed its name to Gamma and made the sign stand for the consonant G.

                   Daleth, Dal DoorD

consonantD

Around 1700 B.C. this letter was used to represent d consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed/curved its form, changed its name to Delta and made the sign stand for the consonant D.

                  He  WindowH

consonantE

Around 1700 B.C. this letter was used to represent h consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed its form, changed its name to Epsilon and made the sign stand for the vowel E.

                  Waw HookW semi-

consonantF

Around 1700 B.C. this letter was used to represent w semi- consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and reversed/altered its form, changed its name to Digamma and made the sign stand for the semi- consonant W.

                   Heth, Hait  WallH

laryngealconsonent

H

Around 1700 B.C. this letter was used to represent h laryngeal consonent. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and removed the upper and lower bars, changed its name to Eta and made the sign stand for the consonant H.

                  Yodh, Yad HandY semi-

consonantI,J

Around 1700 B.C. this letter was used to represent y semi- consonant. After 900 B.C. the Greeks borrowed the sign from Phoenician and removed its bars, changed its name to Iota and made the sign stand for the vowel I.

Oldest Abecedary

Tel Zayit abecedary

inscribed with an extremely fine point limestone boulder The boulder was later incorporated into the wall

of a building, with the inscribed side facing the interior of a stone-paved room.

firmly datable archaeological context (10th c BCE)

Ancient China

Ancient China

Chinese civilization Yellow River valley

Recent archaeological discoveries complex cultures of Neolithic China

distinct and independent cultures in various regions

interacted with and influenced each other  Yangshao culture (5000-3000 BC) of the middle Yellow

River valley, known for its painted pottery, Longshan culture (2500-2000 BC) distinguished for its

black pottery.     

Invention of writing

In China, the is attributed to an ancient sage named Ts'ang Chieh,

minister in the court of the legendary Yellow Emperor - Huang Ti

While not divine, this invention occurred in mythological times

Served as communication tool between heaven (realm of gods and ancestors) and earth (realm of humans)

Archaeological Evidence -China

Scientifically excavated objects can be placed more accurately in time and place

Texts often go through a process of accretion over time many passages added later

Thousands of early archaeological sites have been excavated in China, most of them graves

Fu Hao's Tomb  c1250bce bce                                                                                             

Oracle Bones

The earliest surviving examples of writing

13th and 14th c. BCE. divination records results inscribed on

oxen shoulder blades & turtle shells

2/3 not deciphered

small seal script

characters of uniform size and shape

move away from the earlier pictographic forms of oracle bone script

text conforms to a regular grid arranged in vertical columns fairly regular horizontal

alignment lack of variation in line quality

painstaking execution with a fairly rigid brush

or the use of a stylus

Calligraphy

European term = "beautiful writing“ornamenting words on the pagehighly stylized, regular, and decorated with

flourisheslacking in personal expression tended to curb spontaneity, producing

fairly static forms  minor art and  

Calligraphy is European concept

Chinese culture is embedded in characters. It was highly regulated Went through recognized stages Poets pushed the envelope of character

modifications It is still considered a major art form and has

been for hundreds of years

most widely practiced writing styles

favored spontaneity the brush was thought to act like a seismograph in

recording the movements of arm, wrist, and hand established as a "high art" form

Prior to Tang dynasty 627 to 649 CE continuously enjoyed a high status among the arts practiced today   calligraphic skill serves as a basis for painting technique the rise of calligraphy to "high art" status preceded that of

painting by hundreds of years

Drawing exercise

Undeciphered Scripts

Linear AIndus Valley Script

Most recently deciphered

Mayan Hieroglyphs

Mayan Hieroglyphs

Next meeting

January 7, 2010