Copy the definition for cuneiform from page 43. Do Now Copy the HW: Thank a veteran! WHIL due Friday Sect. 3 quiz on Tuesday! Copy the definition for cuneiform from page 43.

Cuneiform Groups of wedges and lines used to write several languages of the Fertile Crescent First written language

Discuss What are some of the purposes of writing in the world today?

The development of writing Imagine that there was no written language. What would be some of the most essential things for which you would need signs? Which objects, concepts and ideas are the ones you would make sure were made known and learned right away?

WHY did there become a need for writing? What changed? Growing cities needed to keep track of things (how many cows, people, taxes) The earliest writing = barley amounts. Eventually people had to develop a way to record more complicated ideas.

Around 3100 B. C. people began to record amounts of different crops Around 3100 B.C. people began to record amounts of different crops. Barley was one of the most important crops in southern Mesopotamia and when it was first drawn it looked like this.

Picture writing Advantages Disadvantages

Picture writing Advantages Easy to show nouns and other simple ideas, such as “sun” Easy to show small numbers Anyone can understand the pictographs Disadvantages It is very hard to show complicated ideas and certain parts of speech Takes a long time to draw

How did writing change the way you performed the task? Think about a time that you started to do a task and then realized at some point that you should have been writing things down. Example: Organizing a collection of XC uniforms by size. How did writing change the way you performed the task?

How was writing invented? With your group, read “How writing was invented.” Page 46 and 47. Make sure to examine the table on page 47. Respond to these questions on your activity sheet. First they used ________ to keep records. Then, they started to write down specific objects as ____________ Finally, the symbols changed into what we call ____________ Choose 3 symbols (goat, river, mountain, man, etc.) that you would like to draw in the 4 major stages of cuneiform. Using the chart on page 47, draw the three stages for each of your three symbols.

How Writing was Invented First they used tokens to keep records. Then, they started to write down specific objects as symbols. Finally, the symbols changed into what we call cuneiform.

cuneiform

Finally 1. What happened to the appearance of this writing system as it developed?   It looked less and less like a picture, and became more complicated. 2. How do you think these changes affected the people using cuneiform? Not everyone could read it now. People had to be taught to write and read it. Scribes are now going to be an important role in society.

Do Now Copy the HW for tonight: WHIL due tomorrow! Quiz on section 3 Tuesday. If you want to join ski club and haven’t signed up, let me know! You have 15 minutes, work independently: Read “The Art of Writing” from pages 45-46 (stop after the quote) Today we are thinking about the purposes of writing. Discuss and respond to question 1-6 on the paper I am handing out.

The purpose of writing What kinds of tasks can be accomplished without writing? What kinds of tasks cannot be accomplished without writing? Could a country be ruled, an army trained, a religion organized, laws maintained, buildings built, products marketed, crops raised and sold without writing? How does writing enhance the ability to do those things? Why was the original purpose for writing in Sumer? The size and shape of a writing tablet depended on what? With your group, read “The Art of Writing.” Pages 45-46 (stop reading after the quote). Respond to these questions.

Discussion questions What kinds of tasks can be accomplished without writing? Local communication, small farming business What kinds of tasks cannot be accomplished without writing? Management of larger businesses, cities, etc. Could a country be ruled, an army trained, a religion organized, laws maintained, buildings built, products marketed, crops raised and sold without writing? No way! How does writing enhance the ability to do those things? Could record more complex information (large numbers, specific names, etc.)

5. Why was the original purpose for writing in Sumer? Sumerians had to keep records of things, such as barley. 6. The size and shape of a writing tablet depended on what? The purpose of the writing.

Activity Record of farm animals Tax payments from one neighborhood Each group is going to 5 pieces of paper- each one represents a writing tablet. As a group, you need to examine the size of each tablet and determine what purpose each might have. Record of farm animals Tax payments from one neighborhood Personal message City records of births & deaths City law 2 large, 2 medium, 1 small As a group, split up the tablets and write out (English) an example of what that tablet might say. Example: Personal Message Dear sister, Thank you so much for the cow. It will help me feed all of the children. Etc. Etc.

Finally Record of farm animals (Medium) Tax payments from one neighborhood (Medium) Personal message (Small) City records of births & deaths (Large) City law (Large)

closure How did writing change/impact all aspects of Mesopotamian life?

Cuneiform