Discover the Secrets: Top 9 Fun and Surprising Facts About Cuneiform Writing!

1. Ancient Emojis and Information Processing

Before there were keyboards and autocorrect fails, there were ancient emojis made out of clay: Cuneiform, invented in Mesopotamia around 3200 BCE, started as a system of clay tokens for recording goods but later evolved into a phonetic writing system that laid the foundation for modern information processing and writing.
Source => sites.utexas.edu

2. Mesopotamian T9 Texting System

Cuneiform, the ancient Mesopotamian T9 texting system that predates emojis by a few thousand years: it wasn't just for casual chats between Babylonian buddies, but also for cracking mathematical conundrums, stargazing in style with astronomical observations, and even composing their very own Billboard chart-toppers with musical notations!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Discover the ancient Royal Game of Ur, the oldest known complete tabletop game dating back to 2600-2400 B.C. Learn how this mesmerizing zodiac-inspired game, adorned with inlaid shell and lapis lazuli, was a craze in Mesopotamia for over 1,000 years!

=> Fun Facts about Mesopotamia

3. Sumerian Tablet Doodlers

Before the etch-a-sketch shook things up, Sumerians were the OG tablet doodlers: Cuneiform writing was done by pressing a reed stylus into soft clay tablets, which could be recycled or kiln-baked for permanent records, leading to a surprising number of ancient texts surviving through accidental fires.
Source => penn.museum

4. Cuneiform Hogwarts

Before Hogwarts or Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, there was Sumer High: a place where aspiring scholars learned to master the ancient languages and dipped their quills into the fascinating world of agriculture, architecture, and astronomy, all while scribbling away in cuneiform: From the age of ten, Sumerian students embarked on a twelve-year journey, gaining proficiency in cuneiform script, Sumerian and Akkadian languages, and an impressive range of subjects like architecture, astronomy, botany, engineering, history, literature, medicine, philosophy, religion, and zoology.
Source => worldhistory.org

5. Multi-language Record-keeping Superstar

Before Siri and Alexa, there was cuneiform: the world's first multi-language, ancient record-keeping superstar. Imagine the ancient Mesopotamians as linguistic chameleons, scribes switching from Sumerian, Akkadian, to Babylonian, and beyond, all thanks to cuneiform. Here's the breakdown: cuneiform transformed from pictographs into a complex writing system that could handle around 15 different languages, revolutionizing communication and record-keeping from trade deals to gossip-filled letters in the cradle of civilization. And you thought typing with two thumbs was impressive!
Source => khanacademy.org

6. Cuneiform Code-cracker Grotefend

Move over Sherlock, there's a new detective in town: Enter Georg Friedrich Grotefend, the original cuneiform code-cracker who outmaneuvered Henry Rawlinson in the game of ancient script decipherment. Tapping into the Old Persian cuneiform files before Rawlinson had his chance, Grotefend laid the groundwork for cuneiform-crazed cryptologists Antoine-Jean Saint-Martin and Rasmus Christian Rask. Devoted disciples of decipherment, they paved the way for Rawlinson to sleuth his way into solving the Babylonian Behistun inscription, completing a tag-team of historical heist heroes. And that, folks, is the real story behind the script on the wall.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. Ancient "LOL" Cuneiform

Before emojis ruled the world, there was a more ancient texting language that even included an ancient "LOL": cuneiform, a complex collection of wedges and lines, casually used for penning epic poems and profound literature. But hey, at least they didn't need autocorrect: This early writing system was used beyond just administrative tasks and featured literary texts such as myths, poetry, and hymns, with the Epic of Gilgamesh as one of the most famous examples, dating back to the third millennium BCE.
Source => metmuseum.org

8. Gilgamesh: Ancient Bestseller

Talk about an ancient bestseller: The Epic of Gilgamesh, written in trendy cuneiform, found its way into King Ashurbanipal's personal library in the long-lost city of Nineveh, only to be unearthed in the 19th century by Austen Henry Layard and reveal our oldest recorded tale to date!
Source => coursehero.com

9. Cuneiform Social Media

Who needs social media when you've got cuneiform: the ancient Mesopotamian way of documenting everything from epic battles and coronations to grocery lists and legal disputes. Used for far more than just mundane matters, cuneiform tablets served as the multipurpose platform of their day, storing school exercises, religious hymns, and even the occasional early draft of "Epic Rap Battles of History."
Source => archaeology.org