
The Shorter
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THE DEVELOPMENT OF CUNEIFORM
Writing began as
pictures, or pictographs as they are usually
called, which represent an actual object or thing.
Eventually, certain pictures came to represent an
idea or concept connected to the original object/thing.
This type of symbol is called an "ideograph” since
it has expanded from representing a solid object
to representing an abstract idea. In the final stage
the symbol comes to represent a sound – usually
the beginning sound of the object it was originally
picturing.
Eventually,
the pictographs
were stylized, rotated and impressed in clay with
a wedge shaped stylus to become the script known
as Cuneiform.
Ancient Sumerian
was a “language isolate”—it is not related to any
other language that we know of. But Akaadian, the
language of the people who set up the very first
empire and who conquered Sumer (under the leader
Sargon), was a Semitic* language. The Akaadians
adopted cuneiform writing to their own language
and cuneiform began spreading all over with different
groups of people using it to write their own language
down. In this same way we use the Roman alphabet,
but so also do the Spanish, the French, and the
Germans – all different languages using the same
symbols, or letters, to write down the sounds of
their words.
Sumerians loved riddles: Here's an actual riddle from ancient Sumer:
“What is a house that one enters
blind
but leaves seeing?" (answer
below)
*The term “Semitic” traditionally refers to descendants
of Noah’s son Shem, this would include Abraham and all
his descendants. Today, people usually mean Arabs and
Jews. When you hear the term “anti-Semitic,” it is
often used to mean just plain “anti-Jew.” It is
common to talk about Nazi Germany being anti-Semitic
(that’s an understatement, since the Nazi’s murdered
6 million Jews in the 1940’s during World War II).
Answer to riddle: a school.
www.theshorterword.com
© Laurie J. White
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Book-favs for high school
and beyond
More Links
NCCA STUDENTS
Links below are to other stuff I like and recommend
Knowledge Quest's
5 Must-Have, No-Cost Resources for Homeschooling
Math and more
The Kahn Academy-- All homeschoolers should know about
this guy (really!)--
Click here for a page of various videos introducing what Kahn is about.
My favorite is the one from PBS.
History
Write in
HIEROGLYPHICS
culturefocus.com
openculture.com
-- for free audio books plus much, much more!
KnowledgeQuest.com recommendations as well as Terri Johnson's whole
website.
Owl and Mouse
free online geography games (I love these)
Science
Stardome
Video
science online
Principles of Physics (animated demonstrations)
Video shorts
Galileo & the telescope
Galileo proven right
The Evolution of Beauty
Drawing the City of Rome
Video programs
J.J. Abrams(creator
of Lost) TED talk on technology & movies
Merchants of Cool
The Paradox of Choice--Why Less Is More
Laser Archaeology
Top Ten TED
talks (what's TED? Find out!)
Random stuff
Use Replyforall
to have an advertiser send money to a charity you select every time you
send an email--and it's free to you! I help bring clean water to
people in impoverished areas.
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