Cuneiform: n. The oldest known writing system that originated in Mesopotamia circa 3400BC. It was etched onto wet clay tablets using a wedge-shaped stylus.
Cuneiform is the original ancient written language that underpins all modern forms of written communication. Many languages throughout a vast geographical span over thousands of years were written in cuneiform, including Sumerian, Hittite, Hurrian and Akkadian. Among these, Akkadian (an early cognate of Hebrew and Arabic) became the lingua franca of the Near East, including Egypt, during the Late Bronze Age.
Tablet XI The Epic of Gilgamesh “You gods may I be mindful of these days & never forget them.”
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the earliest surviving great works of literature from ancient Mesopotamia.
Cuneiform was used for everything – from official royal correspondences between leaders to simple records about the movements and transactions of farms and merchants.
Over time, cuneiform became a skill not only taught in temples and scholarly arenas but also moved into the hands of citizens, as well as into private homes.
Here a team cooks a Babylonian stew from a 4,000 year old recipe on a cuneiform tablet…
Irving Finkle, curator at the British Museum talks about translating Noah’s flood out of cuneiform
Content Catnip 
I remember so well that during History classes we learnt about the cuneiform writing. Those were my favourite types of History classes – when we learnt about the culture of other parts of the world. Learning about the specific historic happenings was not as interesting for me 🙂
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Yes me too I think. I really love being able to pick up and hold objects to get a sense of their history, rather than just learn facts and figures about history. 😊 In the British Museum they have a section where you can touch very ancient objects, it’s pretty amazing. Thanks for your comment.
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