Sumerian Cuneiform

In this essay I will argue that ancient societies are not fundamentally different from modern societies by exploring the two key themes of writing and ancient beliefs about life and death. I will investigate Sumerian Cuneiform and its original uses, the origin of Greek letters from Phoenician, and the use of the Latin script by the Romans. Then, I will investigate the funerary practices of the ancient Hebrews, those of the Vikings, and then the practices of the Romans. By doing this, I will demonstrate that many practices in modern society are very similar to past cultures. However, I shall also analyse practices which differ significantly from modern behaviours and associations. I hope that by using this approach, I will be able to investigate more closely non-Graeco-Roman cultures as there is a tendency in some modern and 19th century scholarship to be too Euro-centric. …show more content…
Kramer states that the Sumerians first began writing down their “literary works” around 2500BC (1963: p.486). This script developed from a system of pictographs into a logographic script which meant it represented words whilst also being syllabic such that one sign might record a single syllable e.g. “ka” (Wikipedia, 2015). For an idea of the progression and mutation of this script, see figure one in the bibliography. The original pictographic script recorded lists of objects, such as “earthenware, leather objects … domestic animals…” on tablets called “hubullu” (Oppenheim 1964: p.247). This later progressed to prose and