Category Archives: Logograms

Chinese Oracle bones — ~1500BC, China

Written Chinese is, by some measures, the most successful writing system on the planet.  It has persisted for thousands of years and is still in use today.  While it has gone through a number of distinct changes, those changes have … Continue reading

Posted in first in its area, Logograms, probably developed by illiterate(s), Rating: 3 "I did not know that" | 2 Comments

Akkadian cuneiform — ~2300 BC, Iraq

The Sumerians and the Akkadians lived near each other for quite a while, with the culture of the Sumerian city-states being dominant at first.   Eventually the Akkadians recognized a good thing, so adopted writing from the Sumerian cuneiform.  The Akkadian … Continue reading

Posted in Logograms, previous script didn't quite work, Rating: 4 "Huh, interesting!", Syllabaries | 7 Comments

Egyptian hieroglyphics — 3200 BC, Egypt

Egyptian hieroglyphics were profoundly influential and in use for thousands of years.  Like Sumerian cuneiform, the early symbols were of recognizable things.  Unlike Sumerian cuneiform, the symbols stayed recognizable: a snake stayed a snake, a foot stayed a foot.  Like … Continue reading

Posted in Abjad, Logograms, probably developed by illiterate(s), Rating: 4 "Huh, interesting!" | 6 Comments

Sumerian cuneiform — 3200 BC, Iraq

Scholars argue about which came first, Egyptian hieroglyphics or Sumerian cuneiform, but neither side has convinced me. Given that they developed within 100 years (in about 3200 BC) and 1000 kilometers of each other, it’s pretty certain that one led … Continue reading

Posted in Logograms, probably developed by illiterate(s), probably first in its area, Rating: 4 "Huh, interesting!", technology influenced | 9 Comments

Proto-writing — 7000 BC, Iraq

Nobody wrote down how writing got invented (duh), but there is speculation as to the origin of writing. Archeologists have found small clay objects that they think were used in commerce to represent various goods, starting in about 7000 BC … Continue reading

Posted in developed by illiterate(s), first in its area, Logograms, Rating: 5 "Whoa!!" | 4 Comments