Dr. Moudhy Al-Rashid, an expert in Mesopotamian history and cuneiform, joins comedian Phil Wang for a humorous and enlightening discussion about the world's oldest writing system. They dive into how cuneiform emerged around 3000 BCE, revealing daily life, epic tales like The Epic of Gilgamesh, and even ancient divination practices. The conversation spans the unique challenges of deciphering these clay tablets and highlights the remarkable evolution of communication, blending history with laughter throughout.
Cuneiform, the oldest writing system, originated around 3000 BCE in ancient Mesopotamia, facilitating record-keeping and administration.
The decipherment efforts in the 19th century, notably by Henry Rawlinson, established cuneiform studies and expanded our understanding of ancient texts.
Cuneiform tablets reveal rich insights into daily life, including personal correspondence and the roles of women, challenging traditional perceptions.
Deep dives
The Origins of Cuneiform
Cuneiform is a writing system that originated around 3000 BCE in what is now southern Iraq. It is characterized by wedge-shaped marks impressed onto clay tablets, a technique which gave the script its name derived from the Latin word 'cuneus', meaning 'wedge'. Cuneiform was not a language itself but was used to represent various languages, such as Sumerian and Akkadian. Its creation was primarily driven by the need for record-keeping and administration in the rapidly developing complex societies of ancient Mesopotamia.
Deciphering Cuneiform
The decipherment of cuneiform began in earnest in the 19th century, significantly led by Englishman Henry Rawlinson. He famously worked on the Behistun Inscription, a trilingual inscription that helped unlock the meanings of cuneiform symbols. Other scholars, such as Edward Hinks, contributed vital work that established foundational knowledge of the script and its characters. By the late 19th century, the collective efforts of these philologists culminated in the discipline of Assyriology, dedicated to studying cuneiform texts and ancient Mesopotamian civilizations.
Literature and Daily Life in Cuneiform
Cuneiform tablets reveal a rich tapestry of ancient life, housing everything from administrative records to epic literature like the 'Epic of Gilgamesh'. Documents found in the royal library of Ashurbanipal showcase various subjects including astronomy, medicine, and personal correspondence. Notably, letters between husbands and wives offer insights into intimate relationships and day-to-day struggles, reflecting the emotional depth and complexity of human experiences in those times. The literary works recorded in cuneiform serve to underline the cultural and intellectual achievements of the societies that used it.
Women and Cuneiform
Cuneiform documents also provide critical insight into the lives of women in ancient Mesopotamia. One notable figure, Laa Tubashini, successfully fought for the freedom of her children after enduring years of enslavement. Additionally, evidence suggests that women participated in professional roles as scribes, contributing to the economy and society. Such records challenge the notion of women's roles being limited to domestic spheres, highlighting their involvement in commerce and education.
The Enduring Legacy of Cuneiform
The use of cuneiform persisted for over three millennia, with the last known tablets dating from the 1st century CE. Despite its eventual decline due to the rise of alphabetic scripts, cuneiform's stability as a writing system has allowed many texts to be preserved over time. The durability of clay tablets, combined with the complexities of the cuneiform system, enabled a vast amount of knowledge to be recorded, influencing future cultures and written forms. Today, cuneiform tablets are invaluable artifacts that offer a window into the thoughts, beliefs, and daily lives of people from an ancient civilization.
Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Mesopotamia by Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid and comedian Phil Wang to learn about the history of cuneiform, the oldest writing system in the world.
In the 19th Century, European scholars began to translate inscriptions found on ruins and clay tablets from ancient Mesopotamia - an area of the world between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that encompasses modern Iraq, as well as parts of Syria, Iran, Turkey and Kuwait. The script they deciphered became known as cuneiform, and this distinctive wedge-shaped writing system is perhaps the oldest in the world. The earliest cuneiform tablet is in fact over 5,000 years old.
These clay tablets reveal much about the daily life of people in this part of the ancient world, recording everything from the amounts of beer sold by brewers and the best way to ask the gods for advice, to squabbles between husbands and wives and even the lullabies used to get babies to sleep. The first recorded epic poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh, is also preserved thanks to cuneiform. This episode traces the history of cuneiform, exploring how this script worked, who used it and what they used it for, what it tells us about the inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia, and how it was finally deciphered.
If you’re a fan of historical puzzles, amazing archaeological finds and the intimate details of everyday life in the ancient world, you’ll love our episode on cuneiform.
If you want more from Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid, check out our episode on Ancient Babylon. And for more ancient history with Phil Wang, listen to our episodes on the history of Kung Fu and the Terracotta Warriors.
You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.
Hosted by: Greg Jenner
Research by: Hannah Cusworth and Matt Ryan
Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner
Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner
Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
Production Coordinator: Ben Hollands
Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse
Executive Editor: James Cook
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