cuneiform etymology

Etymology:

• Latin: "cuneus" (wedge) + "forma" (shape)
• Referring to the wedge-shaped characters used in the script

Meaning:

• A system of writing that uses wedge-shaped characters impressed into clay tablets
• One of the earliest known forms of writing, dating back to around 3500 BC

Origin:

Cuneiform script originated in the ancient Near East, specifically in the region of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq and Kuwait).

• It was first developed by the Sumerians, a non-Semitic people who lived in southern Mesopotamia.
• Around 3200 BC, the Akkadians, a Semitic people, adopted cuneiform and used it to write in their own language.
• Cuneiform was also adopted by other civilizations in the Near East, including the Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, and Elamites.

Features:

• The characters of cuneiform are wedge-shaped and are impressed into clay tablets or other soft materials using a stylus.
• The script is written in rows from left to right or from top to bottom.
• It is a logographic script, meaning that the characters represent words or syllables rather than sounds.
• Cuneiform is a complex script with hundreds of characters and multiple variants.

Usage:

• Cuneiform was used for a variety of purposes, including:
  • Recording historical events
  • Documenting laws and legal proceedings
  • Writing religious texts
  • Creating literary works
  • Keeping track of economic transactions

Decline:

• Cuneiform gradually declined in use after the rise of the Persian Empire in the 6th century BC.
• It was eventually replaced by alphabetic scripts such as Aramaic and Greek.
• The last known cuneiform inscription was written in the 1st century AD.

Rediscovery:

• Cuneiform script was rediscovered in the 19th century by European scholars.
• In 1857, Sir Henry Rawlinson deciphered the Behistun Inscription, a trilingual inscription written in Old Persian, Babylonian, and Elamite.
• This breakthrough allowed scholars to finally understand cuneiform and unlock the vast body of knowledge preserved in ancient Near Eastern texts.

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