Compare And Contrast Cuneiform And Hieroglyphics

Most people today use writing on a daily basis. The development of writing dates back all the way to around 3000 B.C. Two forms that developed surrounding that time were cuneiform and hieroglyphics. These both were some of the first forms of writing discovered by Sumerians and Egyptians. They have matured over time to become what we use to this very day. We may not use the symbols and pictures they used but they are what got everything started. Although cuneiform and hieroglyphics are both forms of writing, they share a few other similarities and differences. Just to scratch the surface on the general knowledge of cuneiform and hieroglyphics to help us further understand each form a little better. Cuneiform was carved into clay with a stylus, a carefully cut writing implement, and is left to bake in the sun to become solid; while hieroglyphics is carved into stone with a sharp object. It is said that cuneiform’s name derives from the Latin word cuneus which means “wedge”, because of the wedged-shaped style of writing (Mark). Hieroglyphic, on the

Cuneiform was written for people to understand while hieroglyphics was mainly religious and was used to obscure what the author was trying to say (Gascoigne). Cuneiform was the first form of writing developed, while hieroglyphics followed shortly after being the second form of writing established. The Egyptian characters are a lot more pictorial in a sense then the Samarian’s (Gascoigne). Samarian civilization discovered a way to create schools to help further gain knowledge on the ancient writing for their people while Egypt did not. There are also three forms of hieroglyphics and only one form of cuneiform. Which makes me wonder why there is not a school for hieroglyphics as well. Cuneiform spread and was used by many civilizations and became extremely popular. Hieroglyphics, however, was only utilized by the Egyptians (Sherman and Salisbury