Cuneiform: Delving into History's Oldest Recorded Language - with a Demonstration by @DumuEnki

Cuneiform was first developed in ancient Sumer and is believed by most scholars to be humanity's earliest system of writing. Emerging over 5,000 years ago on the fertile plains of Mesopotamia, this intricate method of inscribing clay tablets became the foundation for recording the complexities of a burgeoning civilization. As the primary medium for documenting everything from administrative records to epic literature, cuneiform not only facilitated the development of a structured society but also laid the groundwork for subsequent cultures in the region. Understanding this script is essential to appreciating the profound impact it had on the evolution of written communication and the preservation ancient Near Eastern history.

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Contents:

00:00 Introduction to and Early History of Cuneiform
04:03 A Praise Poem of Shulgi"
04:57 Cuneiform Demonstration by Jake Baxter
11:55 Thank You and Patrons

Related Videos:

Prayers of the Common People in Ancient Mesopotamia (Ancient Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria)

After Kingship had Descended from the Heavens: The Role and Duties of a King in Ancient Mesopotamia

The Complete and Concise History of the Sumerians and Early Bronze Age Mesopotamia (7000-2000 BC)

Babylon: The City at the Center of the World - The Concise History of Babylonia (2000-539 BC)

Ancient Sumer and the Sumerians (Ancient Mesopotamia in Minutes)

Sources and Suggested Reading:

Cuneiform - Irving Finkel and Jonathan Taylor
Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia - Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat
A History of the Ancient Near East: ca. 3000-323 BC, Third Edition - Marc Van De Mieroop
Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins - Ed. by Ariane Thomas and Timothy Potts
Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization - Paul Kriwaczek
The Ancient Near East: Historical Sources in Translation - Mark W. Chavalas
Civilizations of the Ancient Near East: Vol. I - Ed. by Jack M. Sasson

Follow History with Cy:

#bronzeage #ancienthistory #sumerian

[js]

It's awesome how much coverage you give to the Ancient Near East! More people deserve to know of it and it's cultures and languages!

[DumuEnki]

Thank you so much for your time! I had a blast. ❤❤

[lilitheden]

Prof. Irving Finkelman who is curator at the British Museum is one of those rare geniuses that can translate the many found cuneiform tablets. There are some videos of him on the channel of the British Museum. I can assure you that he is not a dull academic. He tells the content of the tablets in an amazingly amusing manner. It’s worth checking out.

[nigelmorroll]

It's amazing that not only can we read what on the ancient tablets, but also there's thankfully people who can actually still write the same way too.

[tarlonniel]

Thanks for more superb, well-researched ancient history content Cy! Cuneiform is fascinating; I've spent hours listening to Irving Finkel talk about it and it's still not enough, always more to learn.

[henriner]

i started slacking on studying sumerian a year ago and never made it to even basic literacy. It's crazy how people can still learn to read and write even today

[GameHammerCG]

Wow, the time it takes to write in cuneiform was very surprising. No wonder it got superseded by alphabets. Very interesting, thank you for sharing.

[roykay]

Great. I have been interested in Sumerian history ever since I saw the Royal Toms of Ur exhibit at the Cleveland Mueum of Art more than 20 years ago.

[DaēnāVanguhi]

𒁾𒊬𒊑 𒈬 𒁹𒀀𒀭 𒃶𒂗𒍪 𒋗𒉌 𒃶𒊷𒊷 𒂊𒉈𒀀𒀭 𒁾𒊬𒊑
If a scribe knows only a single line but his handwriting is good, he is indeed a scribe!

[oldstrawhat]

Great video. What a treat to see cuneiform being written. Thank you.

[Amadeu.Macedo]

FABULOUS! Thank you so much for this splendid demonstration of cuneiform writing. If only I had become enamored with antiquity when I was younger, I would have devoted my life to Akkadian studies and cuneiform Akkadian writing. Bravo!

[iamwonderFil]

you would be a dream history teacher. thx fopr all the great work.

[massimosquecco]

"AMATEUR"! Such modesty! Thank you for your research that undoubtedly will last all your life, and I wish you'll turn, together with Cy, 137, at least...

[buzzyinurface]

Whenever a History with Cy video drops it makes my day 😊

[SmilefortheJudge]

I love Cy. My wife knows and I don’t care. Great work as always. Awesome that there’s moving pictures in this. The music too hahaha. I dunno what that is supposed to be but I love drums.

[TheRedneckPreppy]

Very awesome stuff Cy -- the demo was fantastic!

[hydroac]

Fascinating! Thanks for the live demonstration!

Is he dipping the stylus in water off camera?

[GLeibniz]

Wonderful presentation how hard would it be to learn that script? Admiration for those unknown scribes that organized and preserved their worlds by such beautifully simple means!

[kersebleptes]

Now I can clearly see that being an ancient Mesopotamian scribe's assistant would have been a nightmare.
Imagine being in charge of keeping the clay in good condition for writing on a hot day with a dry wind blowing!

[Book-bzns]

Thisbwas very cool!
If i could redo my life, i would be trying to be Irving Finkel's successor 😆
Thanks, Cy, for bringing all this for us.