What is cuneiform writing? Cuneiform script of Mesopotamia

One of the most mysterious and ancient civilizations is Mesopotamia. So it was called Hellenes, to us it is known as Mesopotamia. This is the territory that is located between two large water arteries, giving life to the region. One of them is the Tiger, the other is the Euphrates. There were huge cities with special laws, unique customs, religion and worldview. On this earth more than six thousand years ago, a system of writing was born, known as the cuneiform of Mesopotamia.

Why did they write with wedges?

Our ancestors were very observant, because it allowed them to survive in difficult conditions. And they were able to adapt to the world around them, take everything they needed from him. If in Egypt the papyrus grew in abundance, and you could get stones to knock out your hieroglyphics on them, then in Mesopotamia this was not. But there was clay, from which they built houses and made utensils. The villagers saw how traces of animals were printed on wet material, so they tried to use it for records. But it was uncomfortable to draw complicated signs on clay, it was much easier to squeeze out dents on it with a sharp stick with a triangular base. Thus appeared the famous cuneiform of Mesopotamia, which brought to us many information about the mysterious people of the region.

Clay book

So, what is cuneiform writing, we figured it out. Now let's talk a little about what the ancient inhabitants of Mesopotamia wrote on. The "books" were different. If the clay pancake was intended for students' exercises in the letter (and there were schools in the cities of Mesopotamia), it was not dried. After classes, just washed the written, and the plate was used again. But it could be dried in the sun, then the information lasted longer. Important plates were burned in fire and stored in palaces.

Pupils who wanted to learn the ancient letter, first learned the technique of making clay tablets. The matter is not easy, because the material had many impurities, which should be cleaned. Next, it was necessary to put the line with a rope so that the cuneiform signs would lie flat. And only then the scribe learned to squeeze out "letters".

Propagation of mysterious signs

Clay was a cheap material available to all segments of the population. Therefore, in Mesopotamia, writing was familiar not only to rich people and privileged castes (priests), but also to commoners. Probably, therefore, everything was written here, they composed poems and poems, including heroic characters.

Almost everyone today knows what cuneiform writing is. It was used very widely throughout the Middle East - Sumerians, Assyrians, Persians, Babylonians. Perhaps this ancient writing system would have been used there today, but it had one big flaw. Clay books turned out to be too heavy and cumbersome, so it was difficult to transport them.

Cuneiform writing in Europe

The Old World learned what cuneiform writing is, more than three hundred years ago. For the first time mysterious signs in the form of carnations introduced to the world by an Italian traveler named Pietro della Ballet. He wrote a book about his wanderings around the Middle East and in it painted a strange inscription that he saw on a clay tablet in Persia. The ancient cuneiform was very different from the alphabets used in Europe, so it was not even considered a system of writing. But over time, clay tablets began to fall into the Western world more often. Therefore, they aroused interest among the public and scientists.

A huge number of clay tablets archeologists found on the site of the former capital of Persia, the legendary Persepolis, burned by Alexander the Great and his beloved - the Athenian hetera Thais. As you know, from fire the clay only becomes stronger, therefore the most valuable library of antiquity has reached our days. However, by this time no one could read the mysterious signs captured by skilful scribes.

The puzzle is revealed

The history of cuneiform is more than one thousand years old. But those who put enigmatic signs on clay tablets, have long since died, and their knowledge is lost. Scientists, looking at the ancient books, understood that there is valuable information. But, alas, no one could read it. Attempts to decipher the wedges and carnations were made from the very beginning of the science of Assyriology. And finally the key to the riddle was found! True, it happened very recently, in the nineteenth century.

The first attempts at decipherment, which bear fruit, were carried out by the German linguist Georg Grotefend. He is often called the genius of one night, as he "took the plunge" for an impossible task and fulfilled it. Then he returned to his trade again - he worked as a teacher. But he began to solve the mystery of the cryptography.

In 1872, regardless of Grothefend English engraver George Smith was able to read the plate, which spoke of a worldwide flood. The floods were sent by the gods, but they helped a man who, like the biblical Noah, saved the people. This work later became part of the science called "The Song of Gilgamesh."

An invaluable contribution to this business was made by Henry Rawlinson, military attache. At the risk of his life, he studied and copied the monumental inscriptions of the Persian kings on Behistun rock and Mount Elvand. They contained a large number of proper names (the genealogy of kings), so they helped to unravel three cuneiform systems, three of its forms.

Instead of an epilogue

So, we figured out what a cuneiform is, made a small trip to her homeland - to Mesopotamia. What else do we remember this country, which has long ago sunk into oblivion? The fact that, despite the past millennia, its tracks are still left on mother earth. And in the consciousness of modern man still live the traditions of those people who lived between the Tigris and the Euphrates. We all remember the famous city of Babylon, which was famous for its huge fortress walls and ziggurats, richly decorated with gates and sculptures. In this city, the ruins of the famous tower, about which the Bible speaks, are still preserved. But who does not know about Nineveh, the city where the Christian righteous did not want to go? It is impossible not to mention Assyria, whose soldiers were not only skillful and courageous, but also very ferocious. And, of course, about Persepolis, the cradle of the Persian empire, from which ashes remained.