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Comparative Cultures Mass Cultural Council Creative Schools Professional Development Grant Year 2.
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Transcript of Comparative Cultures Mass Cultural Council Creative Schools Professional Development Grant Year 2.
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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