The oldest known written language,
cuneiform, first
used by the ancient peoples of the Near
East over
5000 years ago, is composed of a series
of wedge-
shaped incisions made with a sharpened
reed stylus.
This script was adopted by all the major
civilizations
of Mesopotamia for recording their
distinct
languages, including the Sumerians,
Akkadians,
Assyrians, and Babylonians. Clay
tablets were the
preferred media for everyday writing
because they
could either be easily recycled or, if a
permanent
record was required, fired in a kiln and
preserved.
The earliest recorded inscriptions are
not myths of
histories, but rather banal economic
transactions and
accounting documents. Later, one of the
most
famous written works of the ancient
world,
Hammurabi’s code, was recorded in the
cuneiform
script. While these marks may appear
obscure and
mysterious to our eyes, scholars have
made much
progress in deciphering cuneiform after
discovering
inscriptions on the Behistun Rock, a
cliff in western
Iran. Much like the Rosetta Stone, the
Behistun
Inscription contained the same text
written in three
different languages (Persian,
Babylonian, and
Elamite), all of which utilized the
cuneiform system of
writing. Due to the resemblance of these
languages
to modern ones, scholars were able to
crack to code.
This impressive terracotta tablet
reveals just how
intricate a system of writing cuneiform
was. In the
hands of a talented scribe, a remarkable
amount of
information could be squeezed into a
relatively small
space and yet still remain legible.
Both the front and
back of this tablet have been written
on, containing a
total of sixty-six lines of text. Like
most tablets that
survive, the text records everyday
matters, here
concerning the details of an arranged
marriage and
accompanying events. Dated to 1281
B.C., the first
year of the reign of Kadashman-Turgu,
the Kassite
King of Babylon, this fascinating tablet
may have
been little more than an invoice or
contract during its
own time. However, today, this work
provides
valuable insight into the daily affairs
of the Ancient
Babylonians while also serving as an
astounding
example of how refined the cuneiform
script was.
- (X.0125)
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