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In ancient Mesopotamia, cuneiform was primarily written and read by scribes, who were trained professionals skilled in the art of writing. Scribes often came from elite classes and received formal education in temples or schools, where they learned to inscribe the complex symbols on clay tablets. Additionally, some members of the ruling and merchant classes could also read and write cuneiform, but the majority of the population remained illiterate.

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2mo ago

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Are eygptian hieroglyphics more advanced than sumerian cuneiform?

Hieroglyphics are more advanced even however, cuneiform may be spreaded out worldwide, hieroglyphics used papyrus which is like paper we right in today. Cuneiform is written in clay tablets. Also cuneiform was much earlier than the hieroglyphics. The last thing I know is that Hierohlyphics was read horizontally to and vertically and had more letters to use than Cuneiform...


What were children roles in ancient Mesopotamia?

In ancient Mesopotamia, children were primarily seen as future contributors to society, with their roles heavily influenced by their gender and social class. Boys were often trained for trades or to assist in farming and were expected to take on adult responsibilities at a young age, while girls were typically prepared for domestic roles, learning skills such as weaving and cooking. Education was more accessible to boys, particularly those from wealthier families, who learned to read and write in cuneiform. Overall, children played a vital role in the continuation of family and cultural traditions, contributing to the economy and social structure.


How did the historians learn to read cuneiform?

Historians learned to read cuneiform through the study of bilingual inscriptions, particularly the Rosetta Stone-like texts that included both cuneiform and other languages, such as Akkadian and Sumerian. They also relied on the deciphering efforts of early scholars, like Henry Rawlinson, who compared known languages with cuneiform signs. The systematic cataloging of signs and their phonetic, syllabic, and logographic values facilitated understanding, enabling researchers to reconstruct the language over time. Ultimately, extensive excavation and analysis of ancient tablets contributed to the comprehensive understanding of cuneiform writing.


Why cuneiform was such an important development on ancient history?

It was the first form of writing and it helped the Sumerians record things down. It also helps us today becuase we can read the ablets and find out more about the culture and history of back then.


How was cuneiform deciphered throughout history?

Cuneiform script is the earliest known writing system in the world. Knowledge of cuneiform was lost until AD 1835, when Henry Rawlinson, an English army officer, found some inscriptions on a cliff at Behistun in Persia. Carved in the reign of King Darius of Persia they consisted of 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. Before Rawlinson, scholars tried to figure out what the words on ancient clay tablets meant, but they had no guidelines. Georg Grotefund, a high school teacher in Germany, was sure the cuneiform wedges represented some type of alphabet. Using two different inscriptions from a gate at Persepolis Grotefund isolated what he believed were royal names. He was right, but he couldn't really do more without a kind of Rosetta Stone for cuneiform. The Rosetta Stone (with its three inscriptions in hieroglyphs, demotic Egyptian and Greek which all say the same thing) was rediscovered in Rashid (Rosetta), Egypt in 1799 by Napoleon's army. Because a young French Egyptologist, Jean Francois Champollion, could work with two of the three languages, he was able to unlock the secret to the third language: Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Related Questions

Where did cuneiform from?

Mesopotamia. Hammurabi used cuneiform to communicate with his city-state and with other leaders. He was one of the few kings who knew how to read and write. Cuneiform made communication more efficient, and this benefited to Mesopotamia.


Who would learn to read and write in cuneiform?

Scribes, priests, government officials, and scholars in ancient Mesopotamia would typically learn to read and write in cuneiform. It was a complex writing system consisting of wedge-shaped characters used primarily for administrative, literary, and religious purposes.


What is the meaning of cuneiformwhat is the best meaning of cuneiform?

Cuneiform is the ancient Mesopotamian form of writing. Scribes were taught to read and write in cuneiform. Not many people besides scribes were able to learn cuneiform. It was a very complicated way of writing.


What was the basic purpose of school in ancient Mesopotamia?

Schools were used to teach male students to be a scribe. A scribe is someone who can read and write. The writing they used was cuneiform, a bunch of wedge shaped marks. The Sumerians invented writing to keep track of records. These groups used cuneiform: Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians


Do they still use cuneiform writing today?

No. However there are some experts who know how to read cuneiform (and thus write it too). Modern methods of writing are far more efficient than cuneiform (which was good when all you had to write on was damp clay tablets).


Can you read cuneiform?

No!


Can we read cuneiform's?

Yes, modern scholars have deciphered cuneiform script, which was used by ancient civilizations such as the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians. By studying and comparing inscriptions on various artifacts, archaeologists and linguists have been able to understand and translate cuneiform writings.


What is the assyrian king that could read and write?

The Assyrian king known for his literacy is Ashurbanipal, who reigned from 668 to 627 BCE. He is often regarded as one of the last great kings of the Assyrian Empire and is famous for his vast library at Nineveh, which contained a wealth of knowledge, including literary, religious, and scientific texts. His ability to read and write in cuneiform demonstrated the importance of literacy among the ruling elite in ancient Mesopotamia.


What is it called if you can read and write two languages?

Being able to read and write two languages is called bilingualism.


Is literacy a quality to be able to read and write?

Yes.


What was the most important skill for a scholar-official to have?

Officials were chosen from the small group of scholars who were able to read and write Chinese.


How many people can read cuneiform?

It is estimated that only a few hundred people worldwide can read cuneiform due to its complex nature and the specialized training required to decipher it.