Write your name in cuneiform in todays literacy, we will be looking at cuneiform, an ancient form of writing from mesapotamia now iraq. The site includes pages concerning cuneiform writing, its decipherment, the writing media used by the assyrians and various teaching resources for the study of the assyrian empire of the first millennium bc. This 4 page worksheet has students analyze the culture of ancient sumer through examining some of their physical artifacts and acting as archaeologists. The script emerged from 30th century bc and was used simply to write the sumerian language. Our collection is growing every day with the help of many teachers. It was thought to be developed in mesopotamia, modern day iran, in the fourth millennium bc. Education world grants users permission to reproduce this worksheet for educational purposes only. D is for drawing words cuneiform writing for kids to the moon and back language that dauntless used to use. This lesson plan is designed to help students appreciate the parallel development and increasing complexity of writing. If your classroom copy of the lesson already has the answers underlined or highlighted, you are off to a great start building. This worksheet quiz combo covers ancient cuneiform. It emerged in sumer and is also known as the sumerian cuneiform. Cuneiform translation cuneiform your job is to translate this ancient language to discover some famous people and places in ancient mesopotamia.
As their business dealings became more complex, they needed a way to keep track of their goods and payments. Early societies developed governments, agriculture, writing, and new technologies. Cuneiform writing the sumerians were accomplished traders and businessmen. This began as a pictographic system in which each cuneiform sign represented a word. The final assessment can be drawn on paper or pressed into clay. Sumerian scribes invented the practice of writing in cuneiform on clay tablets sometime around 3400 b. The first language represented by cuneiform writing. Mesopotamia cuneiform activity historys historiesyou. The worlds first written language and over 5,000 years old. How many characters the alphabet was eventually pared down to. Remember that language consists of arbitrary signs no numbers, letters or almostletters, pictures, etc. Displaying all worksheets related to cuneiform alphabet. Microsoft word internet scavenger hunt cuneiform writing.
Prealphabetic writing the alphabet is everywhere you look in modern western life which makes it hard to remember that it was once invented by someone somewhere but its not even as organic as counting in tens writing in the west began with cuneiform and hieroglyphic pictographs. Students research the parallel development and complexity of writing and civilization in ancient mesopotamia. Youll answer study questions on topics like what cuneiform is and the location of mesopotamia in todays world. The ancient sumerians of west asia are credited with. This discussion came up after visiting the british museum and seeing cuneiform writing and the famous rosetta stone. Compare and contrast the civilization of ancient sumer with the modern united states. The story was told in pictures, in cuneiform, and in another writing similar to an east indian language that henry rawlinson already could read and write.
Eventually, the sumerians added abstract symbols or signs to represent specific letters, numbers, and parts of a word. That writing system, invented by the sumerians, emerged in mesopotamia around 3500 bce. Use the cuneiform decoder below to get some practice translating ancient sumerian writing. Cut the name and alphabet apart to use again and again. The same story was told in three different ways so that most probably, in ancient times, everyone could understand it. Free download cuneiform alphabet quote images hd free. You can use this site to write your monogram or initials in cuneiform. Cuneiform was the most widespread and historically significant writing system in. This system of communication was later adopted and used as part of the babylonian dialect. Comments are turned off autoplay when autoplay is enabled, a suggested video will automatically play next. Write your name in cuneiform just like a mesapotamian. The cuneiform writing system in ancient mesopotamia.
Cuneiform writing activity having begun our studies in mesopotamia we took a slight detour to understand the history of writing. Describe the geographic features of the fertile crescent. It began as a system of simple pictographs images that represented a single word. Pdf worksheets links to online web pages, for which internet access is. Cuneiform, system of writing used in the ancient middle east. Find cuneiform writing lesson plans and teaching resources.
Welcome to esl printables, the website where english language teachers exchange resources. If you want to download you have to send your own contributions. Copy this onto cardstock and use it as a name tent in your classroom with the english letters below the cuneiform drawings. Click on popout icon or print icon to worksheet to print or download. The sumerian cuneiform writing miniproject is designed as an extension activity to reinforce lessons taught in class. Like in many languages, there isnt just one type of cuneiform here are some different ones. The first cuneiform writings were pictographssymbols that represented an entire word.
Mesopotamia cuneiform activity reading comprehension. They also developed the earliest system of writing, cuneiform script. The name, a coinage from latin and middle french roots meaning wedgeshaped, has been the modern designation from the early 18th century onward. Ancient sumer this teachers pack has been created to encourage and enable teachers of children at key. Worksheets are, mesopotamia cuneiform activity, early forms of writing cuneiform, farsi alphabet learn farsi farsi pronunciation farsi, cuneiform alphabet, lesson 2 early mesopotamia, the babylonian number system, garvy oi lesson plan final. This printable is a worksheet for students to become familiar with the general look of cuneiform writing. Worksheets are, mesopotamia cuneiform activity, ancient sumer, babylonian maths, babylonian mathematics, babylonian maths, the sumerians, mmeessooppoottaammiiaa. Orthography the fully developed writing system employs logograms word signs, syllabic signs sound values derived from word signs, and determinatives unpronounced logograms which help the reader choose from among the different logographic values of polyvalent signs to reproduce the spoken language. Download hd images and pictures of the cuneiform alphabet chart from our website for free. Cuneiform writing hammurabis laws kudurru pottery the akkadian empire trade ur reunites mesopotamia ziggurats permission is granted to educators to reproduce this worksheet for classroom use.
They developed the first known written language, called cuneiform, to keep business records and accounts. Cuneiform is noted as the first writing system ever recorded. Cuneiform the first known system of writing is sumerian cuneiform, which dates back to c. The penn museum is temporarily closed to the public due to covid19. Cuneiform script is one of the oldest known writing forms. The term cuneiform comes from cuneus, latin for wedge. In this ancient mesopotamia lesson, students analyze the cuneiform writing system. Cuneiform, or sumeroakkadian cuneiform, was one of the earliest systems of writing, invented by sumerians in ancient mesopotamia. Create a cuneiform alphabet out of only lines, curves and dots. Chapter 3 section 1 the civilization of sumer cuneiform web quest and activity as you have learned from your textbook, the ancient sumerians developed an intricate writing system known as cuneiform over several thousand years ago. It is distinguished by its wedgeshaped marks on clay tablets, made by means of a blunt reed for a stylus. Write an advertisement for the ancient times newspaper that convinces people in other parts of the world to move to ancient mesopotamia.
Learn about cuneiform writing and what sumerian cuneiform is. Here you will find all we have for cuneiform worksheet. Use the cuneiform alphabet to write your first name in cuneiform writing with pictographs use the chart below to write a message in ancient pictographs about mesopotamia. For a period of about 3000 years, cuneiform was the dominant writing system of the ancient near east, with a rich literary tradition in several languages, and an extensive amount of texts. The geography of knowledge in assyria and babylonia. Then find 3 different people who can translate it without the chart. The earliest writing systems evolved independently and at roughly the same time in egypt and mesopotamia, but current scholarship suggests that mesopotamias writing appeared first. The cuneiform writing system 30 person sixth grade class 2 common core standard that is addressed. Cuneiform is a system of writing first developed by the ancient sumerians of mesopotamia c.
O ver time the, civilizations grew larger and better organized. Place the following labels appropriately along the. The language that they spoke, sumerian, is known to us through a large body of texts and. They use the cuneiform alphabet to decode the message. Reading the assyrianbabylonian cuneiform characters, however, is a difficult job, even to specialists, and both the layman and the professional scholar have to settle for a critical edition made by someone who has meticulously studied the tablet. Sumerian cuneiform writing miniproject directions and alphabet. Illustrate the primary features of sumerian civilization. Image of a cuneiform alphabet with a space for students to try writing their names or something below. The cuneiform was one of the earliest forms used to record writing. See your monogram in cuneiform, the way an ancient babylonian might have written it.