How Cuneiform Was Used

        The people of ancient Mesopotamia used Cuneiform to preserve their history. They also used Cuneiform to record astronomical, magical, medical, and literally text. Laws were also written in Cuneiform, such as the Code of Hammurabi. Cuneiform was pressed into moist clay tablets using wedges made of cut reed. This makes sense since "Cunes", the Latin word "Cuneiform" comes from, means "Wedge-shaped" or "Wedged"

The Need For Written Language

      In ancient Mesopotamia, the ancient Mesopotamian needed a way to keep track of their taxes and their rations. Their taxes went to the ziggurats.  And, as trading started to expand and become more popular, they also needed a way to keep track of their trading.  This is why Cuneiform was forced to develop.  

How Cuneiform was Preserved 

      Once this Sumerian form of writing was developed, it needed to be preserved. So, the people of ancient Mesopotamia established schools to teach and preserve Cuneiform, primarily in private homes. A scribe would teach children of the upper class about this new skill. By early in the Early Dynastic Period, these schools were opened throughout Sumer. These schools were called edubba or “House of Tablets”. Most of the students were male but some were female. The females were there because their parents wanted them to pursue a career in literacy. The schools were voluntary and very expensive. The students' father would pay for them to attend these schools. The edubba were closed to lower class families, with the exception for children of slaves. Their masters might force them to go to school to learn literary skills for a number of scenarios. Most of the students went to school around the age of eight years old and graduated from the schools in their twenties. 

The Impact Cuneiform Had

       Cuneiform had a lot of impacts on ancient Mesopotamia. Cuneiform impacted ancient Mesopotamia by giving the ancient Mesopotamian a way to keep track of their taxes. Cuneiform also impacted ancient Mesopotamian by giving them a form of bookkeeping. Before Cuneiform was invented Mesopotamian could not record what was going on around them. Once Cuneiform was developed, the people of ancient Mesopotamia wanted to record their history. Cuneiform also impacted Mesopotamia by giving them a way to bring other cultures together.  By the second millennium, Cuneiform became the universal medium of communication. Cuneiform could tell people how much of something or where to trade. Cuneiform was very helpful in long distance trade in ancient Mesopotamia. As Cuneiform continued to develop in ancient Mesopotamia, its function expanded to include tons of knowledge from different cultures. 

How Priest Used  Cuneiform

There were many priests in ancient Mesopotamia, and they were mostly male. A priests' job was to keep the city-gods pleased and keep track of taxes using Cuneiform. This didn't mean that there wen't any female priestesses. The most well known priestess was Enheduanna. She was the most well known because of her unique way of using Cuneiform. Enheduanna was born in the 23rd B.C.E and her father was Sargon of Akkard. Sargon appointed his daughter to be high priestess of the goddess Nanna (goddess of the moon). She was one of the first authors to claim their work and her work is the earliest form of first-person. 

Cuneiform Cultures

      Cuneiform developed into a complex writing system so multiple cultures could use it to convey information. This made Cuneiform very important. There were two main cultures who wrote their languages in Cuneiform, they were the Sumerians and the Akkadains and the Akkadians first adapted the Sumerian writing system. This doesn't mean they were the only ones who used Cuneiform, however. Many cultures used Cuneiform. such as the Aryans, the Babylonians, the Hittites, and the Kassites. 

This video talks about talks about how Cuneiform developed, gives examples of how Cuneiform was used, and gives us a demonstration on how it was written.

This video talks about the origins of Cuneiform and how it was used to create empires, preserve stories, and help develop civilization.