Relief from the palace of Ashbanipal showing him in a tank
British Museum/Odey Hussein
It is one of the oldest and greatest stores of knowledge. This is a huge library of texts accumulated by Assyrian king Ashrbanipal, who ruled ancient Mesopotamia around 2,700 years ago. However, after his death it was plundered and burned to the ground. Luckily, the text was written on clay tablets, so it was burned and preserved by heat.
Fragments of Gilgamesh’s Epic
British Museum/Cumringed
When the library ruins were discovered in today’s Iraq during the Victorian period, the incredible wealth of this lost world became apparent. New book, Ancient Wisdom Library Serena Wysnom of the University of Leicester in the UK can create vivid portraits of Mesopotamian life from the shattered remains of around 30,000 tablets in the library in Ashbanipal.
Royal Board Games
Camlin is good
Written in Cuneiform, the world’s oldest form of writing, the tablet not only brings back the kings and queens to life, but also brings to the lament of priests, traders and professionals. It also includes magic spells and letters of complaints. Our lives are influenced by ripples of this ancient world, with 60 minutes of time, mathematical discoveries and the invention of constellations.
Clay Prism with an account for Ashurbanipal’s military campaign
Anthony Huan/CC by-sa 2.0
Photo from above: Relief from the palace of Ashrbanipal shows him in a tank. Fragments of Gilgamesh’s Epictells the story of the Great Flood. According to a letter by his brother, the royal game of Urboard games that Ashrbanipal enjoyed as a boy. Clay prisms containing descriptions of Ashurbanipal’s military campaign. And a letter in which his sister blames his wife for her poor mucus.
A letter in which his sister criticizes his wife for poor mucus.
Odey Hussein
Ancient Wisdom Library It is currently being released in the UK and will be released in the US on May 12th.
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The origins of the world’s oldest known writing system may be traced back to painted decorated cylinders used for indicating ownership. Some symbols found on these cylindrical seals match those used in Protocuneiform, a form of protowriting utilized in Mesopotamia.
This finding suggests that the development of writing in Mesopotamia was a decentralized process, with numerous people from different regions contributing to the collection of symbols used.
“There have been various reconstructions over the years regarding the emergence of writing in Mesopotamia, but this is likely the earliest instance of writing invention in the world,” mentions Silvia Ferrara from the University of Bologna, Italy. “We are following a more vibrant and less constrained trajectory.”
The oldest confirmed writing system, cuneiform, was developed in Mesopotamia around 3200 BC. This was preceded by the introduction of a simpler writing system known as Protocuneiform, which was in use from 3350 to 3000 BC.
Proto-cuneiform texts lack grammatical rules, making them incapable of conveying complex meanings, as highlighted by Amy Richardson from the University of Reading, UK, who was not part of the research. For example, while proto-cuneiform can label something as “7 bushels of wheat”, only a sophisticated script like cuneiform can express “7 bushels of wheat are being delivered to you.”
The inception of proto-cuneiform is often associated with clay tokens, which were tokenized in various shapes like disks and spheres, engraved with patterns, and pressed into wet clay to create symbols. Some token symbols bear resemblance to those found in proto-cuneiform, as noted by Dennis Schmandt-Becker in a publication at the University of Texas at Austin in 1992 (before writing).
There is evidence supporting the role of tokens in the genesis of proto-cuneiform, according to Ferrara. However, as she mentions, not all signs can be explained by tokens.
Ferrara, along with her colleagues Kathryn Kelly and Mattia Caltrano, researchers at the University of Bologna, took a different approach by investigating another source of symbols: cylinder seals. These cylindrical artifacts, inscribed with patterns and images, when rolled over wet clay, imprint a set of rectangular symbols, often signifying the goods being transported or the individuals involved in the transaction, as described by Caltrano.
Both sides of the original cuneiform dial
CDLI
The researchers analyzed cylinder seals from the period between 4400 BC and 3400 BC across a vast region of southwest Asia, including Mesopotamia, and identified several symbols corresponding to those in proto-cuneiform.
“One prominent example we encountered was the depiction of fringed cloth and containers inside netting,” mentioned Caltrano. These symbols hold well-defined meanings related to goods transportation and are common in both cylindrical seals and proto-cuneiform tablets.
The concept that symbols on cylinder seals influenced those in proto-cuneiform had been previously proposed by scholars like Holly Pittman in a 1994 book chapter at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, with further developments in subsequent publications (link to publication). Pittman expressed satisfaction with the increasing recognition of her ideas among newer scholars with expertise in cuneiform.
“There seems to be a compelling correlation in the specific examples described in this article,” remarked Richardson. She cited her own research findings on the use of cylinder seals in recording interactions between cities.
This does not undermine the potential role of tokens. Richardson noted that there are still valid arguments suggesting the foundational importance of tokens, particularly in the development of counting systems.
If proto-cuneiform indeed originated from a mix of sources like tokens and cylinder seals, it sheds light on the diverse origins of this writing system. Ferrara pointed out that the evidence supports the argument that writing invention in Mesopotamia was more widespread and decentralized than previously thought. While the elites in the metropolis of Uruk played a crucial role, other administrators, as well as merchants scattered throughout the region, might have also contributed. “There is a growing body of evidence suggesting a broader and diversified impetus for the development of writing,” she added.
Initially, writing served administrative purposes rather than narrative ones. Richardson commented, “Early written records were primarily focused on organizing materials, goods, people, and things, aiming to establish social systems.”
Based on the interpretation of the inscription, the bricks date back to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (c. 604-562 BC). The item was plundered from its original situation before being acquired by the Slemani Museum and was kept at the museum with the consent of the central government. Image courtesy of Slemani Museum.Credit: Slemani Museum
In a new study, researchers used bricks from ancient Mesopotamia to gain insight into changes in Earth’s magnetic field 3,000 years ago. This archaeomagnetic approach provides a more accurate way to date ancient artifacts and understand historical magnetic field fluctuations.
Ancient bricks inscribed with the names of Mesopotamian kings have provided important insights into mysterious anomalies in Earth’s magnetic field 3,000 years ago, according to a new study by UCL researchers.
This study was published on December 18th. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)So, how were changes in the Earth’s magnetic field imprinted on the iron oxide particles in ancient clay bricks, and how could scientists reproduce these changes from the names of kings carved into the bricks? It explains about Tanaka.
Archaeomagnetic dating: a new dating tool
The researchers believe that by using this technique, “archaeological magnetism,” which looks for traces of the Earth’s magnetic field in archaeological items, they can improve the history of the Earth’s magnetic field and date artifacts more precisely than was previously possible. I hope it will be possible to identify it.
Co-author Professor Mark Altaweel (UCL Institute of Archeology) said: “To figure out the age of ancient Mesopotamia, we often rely on dating methods such as radiocarbon dating. However, some of the most common cultural remains, such as bricks and pottery, Because it does not contain organic material, it typically cannot be easily dated. This research is now an important study that will allow others to benefit from absolute dating using archaeomagnetics. It helps create a baseline for dating.”
The Earth’s magnetic field weakens and strengthens over time, and these changes leave distinct imprints on hot minerals that are sensitive to the magnetic field. The research team analyzed magnetic signatures hidden in iron oxide mineral particles embedded in 32 clay bricks excavated from archaeological sites across Mesopotamia, which overlaps with present-day Iraq. The strength of the planet’s magnetic field was etched into minerals when they were first burned by bricklayers thousands of years ago.
At the time the bricks were made, each brick was engraved with the name of the reigning king, and archaeologists have dated the names to various eras. Combining the engraved names with measurements of the iron oxide particle’s magnetic strength yielded a historical map of changes in the strength of the Earth’s magnetic field.
Uncovering geomagnetic anomalies during the Iron Age in the Levant
Researchers were able to confirm the existence of a “Levantine Iron Age geomagnetic anomaly.” This occurred between approximately 1050 and 550 BC, a period when the Earth’s magnetic field was unusually strong for unknown reasons around modern-day Iraq. Evidence of anomalies has been detected as far away as China, Bulgaria and the Azores, but data from the southern Middle East itself has been sparse.
“We can estimate the age of ancient heated artifacts by comparing them to what we know about ancient magnetic field conditions,” said lead author Professor Matthew Howland of Wichita State University. We can do that.”
Advanced technology and historical significance
To measure the iron oxide particles, the team carefully scraped off small pieces from the damaged surface of the brick and used a magnetometer to precisely measure the pieces.
By mapping changes in the Earth’s magnetic field over time, this data also provides archaeologists with new tools to help date some ancient artifacts. The magnetic strength of the iron oxide particles embedded within the fired product can be measured and matched against the known strength of the Earth’s historical magnetic field. The reigns of kings lasted anywhere from a few years to several decades, providing higher resolution than radiocarbon dating, which can only date artifacts to within a few hundred years.
A further benefit of archaeomagnetic dating of artifacts is that it can help historians more precisely pinpoint the reigns of somewhat obscure ancient kings. Although the length and sequence of their reigns are well known, there has been disagreement within the archaeological community as to the exact year they ascended the throne, as the historical record is incomplete. The researchers found that their technique is consistent with an understanding of the king’s reign known to archaeologists as “subchronology.”
The researchers also found that the Earth’s magnetic field appears to have changed dramatically over a relatively short period of time, from five samples taken during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, from 604 BC to 562 BC. and added evidence to the hypothesis that the intensity increased rapidly. Is possible.
Reference: “Exploring geomagnetic variation in ancient Mesopotamia: an archaeomagnetic study of carved bricks from the 3rd to 1st millennium BC” by Matthew D. Howland, Lisa Tokes, Shai Godin, Mark Altaweel, Brendan Syke, and Erez Ben-Yosef, 2023 December 18th, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313361120
Co-author Professor Lisa Tax of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (USA) said: Well-dated archaeological remains of the rich Mesopotamian culture, especially bricks inscribed with the names of particular kings, allow researchers to study changes in magnetic field strength with high temporal resolution over periods of decades or even shorter periods. provides an unprecedented opportunity to track changes that have occurred over time. ”
This research was conducted with funding from the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation.
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