History began with chapter 2

Sumerians- southern Mesopotamia, oldest civilisations (sumer)

Cuneiform (Sumerians):
● Cuneiform is a wedge-shaped writing system. It consists of
wedge-shaped marks made on clay tablets using a reed stylus.
● accounting and record-keeping, later evolved into a script used for
literature, law, and religious texts.
● Adaptability
● Hard to decipher. Behistun Inscription and later discoveries
facilitated its decipherment.

Hieroglyphics (Egyptians):
● Hieroglyphics consist of pictorial symbols representing objects or
concepts.
● stone, papyrus, and pottery.
● monumental inscriptions and religious texts,
● Showed the expression of complex religious and cultural ideas.

MESOPOTAMIAN RECORD KEEPING:

➔ Started because needed to keep a track of trades.
➔ keep track of temple and religious activities and astronomical
activities.
➔ from three-dimensional clay tokens to two-dimensional symbols on
flat surfaces
➔ Cuneiform was morphed to fit the phonetics of other languages.
➔ Mesopotamian cuneiform was, for a short period, the lingua franca.
(LINGUA FRANCA- a language that is adopted as a common
language between speakers whose native languages are
different.)
➔ Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, Ugrait, Ebla
➔ replaced by the Phoenician alphabet.
➔ it was not known by the general public. Select professions of these
regions used cuneiform. Priests, scribes, and some women who
studied the sacred act knew cuneiform writing. Only the righteous
and those chosen by God could learn the script.
➔ Examples of cuneiforms:
● judicial Law Code of Hammurabi- akkadian c
 ● “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “The Descent of Inanna,”-
babylonian c
➔ Mesopotamian cuneiforms- law and politics and to bring honor to
the gods and creation.
➔ The MUL.APIN is a Babylonian astronomical compendium that
showed comprehension of zodiac signs, the ecliptic, and Earth’s
rotation.
➔ 15th century- archaeologists tried to decipher cuneiforms.
archaeologists used their knowledge of similar languages such as
Avestan and other Old Persian scripts to translate cuneiform.
➔ cross-examination of the languages aided in translation. Behistun
inscription- written in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian. They
could translate elamite through old persian.
➔ Rawlinson was able to translate Babylonian with the Behistun
Inscription, and thus archaeologists used these same methods and
then-new translations of Babylonian to decipher its linguistic
predecessor, Akkadian.

HERODOTUS AND THUCYDIDES:

a fifth century BC Greek scholar who many scholars call "the world's first
historian". His rival Thucydides insisted that he had exaggerated details
for dramatic effect, making him instead "the world's first liar".approach
included elements of storytelling, and he sometimes incorporated myths
and legends.

WHAT CAME FIRST, HISTORY OR HISTORIANS?

History occurred irrespective of if they were being recorded or not. Historians contribute to
the construction of historical narratives by collecting, analysing, and interpreting evidence.
The formalisation of history as a discipline involves a systematic approach to understanding
events, differentiating it from mere recording.

RECORD KEEPING VS HISTORY WRITING:

● Record-keeping is to document and archive information for
practical, administrative, or legal purposes and to keep an account.
History-writing is to analyse and interpret past events to provide an
understanding of the context, causes, and consequences.
History-writing goes beyond documentation, aiming to uncover
patterns, connections, and meanings in the past.
 ● History writing is retrospective (to construct a narrative). Record
keeping is just to keep an account so that the information is
accessible again
● Records are typically focused on specific, immediate needs.
History-writing aims to provide a broader and deeper
understanding of historical events.
● RK- individual, HW- scholars, students, public

ORAL HISTORY V COLLECTIVE MEMORY V PEOPLE’S HISTORY:

● Oral history: medium is the spoken word, audio/video recordings
or interviews of the individuals with firsthand experiences.
● Collective memory: shared memories, experiences, and
interpretations of a group, community, or society. Through
literature, monuments, commemorations, and cultural traditions.
● People’s history: experiences, struggles, and contributions of
ordinary people, often marginalised or overlooked by traditional
historical narratives.

LEGENDS: More related to history. Traditional stories or narratives that

are passed down through generations, orally, often within a particular
culture. Has heroes Half truth, half myth. Stories of King Arthur and the
Knights of the Round Table, the exploits of Paul Bunyan in American
folklore, or the adventures of Robin Hood in English folklore.

MYTHS: More related to sacred and cosmic themes.

FOLKTALES: Folktales often explore universal themes such as love,

bravery, justice, betrayal, and the consequences of human actions.
Many convey morals. They don’t have to be cultural or sacred. Examples
are "Cinderella," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Anansi the Spider".

MEMORATES: an oral narrative from memory relating a personal

experience, especially the precursor of a legend.

POTENTIAL MOTIONS:
 1. Would there be any advantages to living in a world where no one
keeps written track of anything?
FOR:
● Wouldn’t be as divided by religion, more communal bonds
● Societies might be more flexible and adaptable without the
constraints of documented rules and regulations.
● Less bureaucracy - less governmental systems of people giving
themselves authority. More direct interpersonal communication.
OPP:
● Less knowledge transfer. Less discoveries/findings
● Experience a form of historical amnesia, losing valuable lessons
from the past.
● Written records are crucial for legal systems and social
organisation. Without them, resolving disputes and maintaining
order could become more challenging.