Written Language throughout the Ancient World

Cave Paintings

Period: 63,000 BCE to 12,000 BCE

Cave paintings are the earliest form of communication found. Some cave paintings are believed to be about 65,000 years old, dating back to the time of Homo neanderthalensis. However, the majority of cave paintings found are thought to have been created by Homo sapiens and are 40,000-14,000 years old according to carbon dating. View the National Geographic video below to learn more about this early form of communication:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjejoT1gFOc

Cave Paintings at Lascaux, France

15,000 BCE

The most well-known cave paintings were found in Lascaux, France and are believed to be about 17,000 years old. These paintings show bulls, elk, and horses. The creator(s) of these paintings used the ridges of the cave as a part of their paintings. Although nobody knows the reason for the paintings, many social scientists speculate that they were created to catch the magic spirit of the animals, honor the spiritual world, or for use in rituals or ceremonies.

Proto Writing

Period: 9500 BCE to 3000 BCE

There has been no evidence found that written language existed during Neolithic times, but there are some social scientists that believe there was a type of proto writing that existed. They believe that there were a number of common symbols that were used, leading them to believe that people living during the development of agriculture were close to creating their own written language.

Egyptian Hieroglyhs

3000 BCE

Egyptians developed a form of writing called Hieroglyphs around this time. Their written language included pictures that stood for different words and sounds. At one point, it had over 6000 symbols. During this time, only scribes, people who specialized in writing and keeping records, were able to use this form of written language. To learn more about Egyptian Hieroglyphs, check out the following website:
https://www.natgeokids.com/au/discover/history/egypt/hieroglyphics-uncovered/

Mesopotamian Cuneiform

3000 BCE

Around 3000 BCE, the Sumerians, an ancient Mesopotamian civilization, was using pictographs, or picture writing, as a way to label their goods. Eventually, the pictographs turned into wedge-shaped symbols called cuneiform.

Papyrus Paper

2500 BCE

Before the invention of papyrus paper, the materials used to record written language were rather bulky and difficult to move around. However, papyrus paper made was lightweight and much easier to transport. The ancient Egyptians used the stem of the papyrus plant for many things, including the making of paper. This was the most commonly used writing material in ancient Egypt and was also widely used in the Greek and Roman civilizations.

Epic of Gilgamesh

2100 BCE

Included in Ashurbanipal's library was the earliest known piece of literature, the Epic of Gilgamesh. Since the story makes reference to peoples from different Mesopotamian civilizations, historians believe that it may have been passed on orally before it was written in cuneiform. View the following video to view a simplified version of the ancient epic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axVubWiGUMM

Chinese Logographs

2000 BCE

There are more than 40,000 characters that make up Chinese writing, and interestingly, it is the world's oldest consecutive written language. Though it has evolved over time, much of what was written thousands of years ago can still be easily deciphered by those that know how to read Chinese writing today. Many Chinese symbols or characters are representative of entire words. Use the link below to try your hand at Chinese calligraphy.
https://www.education.com/slideshow/write-chinese-characters/

Oracle Bones in Ancient China

1800 BCE

The earliest known Chinese symbols were found during the Shang Dynasty. They were found on oracle bones, which were believed to be a way that royal priests were able to communicate with the gods.

Phoenician Alphabet

1000 BCE

The Phoenicians, a trading people that lived along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean sea, created a 22-letter alphabet that was taken from Egyptian hieroglyphs. It was simple, easy to use, and made communication with other civilizations much more effective. In fact, it was eventually used and adapted by many additional civilizations that were encountered while trading, including ancient Greece.

Creation of the Greek Alphabet

900 BCE

The Greeks picked up the Phoenician alphabet. However, they changed some of the letters in order to best fit their language. It eventually become the 26-letter Greek alphabet that people are familiar with today. Listen to the song below to familiarize yourself with the letters of this alphabet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUrZHF_WBeI

Greek Literature

Period: 800 BCE to 300 BCE

Many important pieces of literature that are still read today were created in Greece during this time period. For example, Homer wrote both the Iliad and Odyssey. Additionally, ancient Greece was home to the creator of Aesop's fables. Below is a link to several of these stories that teach a moral lesson.
http://www.read.gov/aesop/001.html

Latin in Ancient Rome

750 BCE

The Latin language originated on the Italian peninsula during this time. It is the language written and spoken by ancient Romans. However, it is now considered a "dead" language, meaning that there are no longer any native speakers of the language. Many present day languages, called the romance languages, were derived from Latin though. Spanish and French are both examples of these languages.

Library of Ashurbanipal

630 BCE

Much of what we know about ancient Mesopotamian civilizations is because of the discovery of the royal library of Ashurbanipal, an Assyrian ruler. He had a collection of over 30,000 cuneiform tablets in his library that covered various subjects, from science to religion. Learn more about this ancient library using the following link:
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhistory/ashurbanipallibrary.htm

Egyptian Demotic

500 BCE

Demotic evolved from hieroglyphs and was known as the language of the common people. It was a type of cursive and was much easier and faster to use than the elaborate hieroglyphs used by scribes in Ancient Egypt. It was used from about 500 BCE to 500 AD.

Rosetta Stone

196 BCE

For about two thousand years nobody was able to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs. Then, in 1799, the Rosetta Stone was discovered by French soldiers, and it held the key to unlocking the meaning of the ancient Egyptian language. Because of this discovery, we were able to learn a great deal more about life in this ancient civilization. Learn more about its importance using the link below:
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/world-history-beginnings/ancient/v/rosetta-stone-196-b-c-e