The messages that survived civilisation's collapse
1–10 of 74 posts
Re: The messages that survived civilisation's collapse
#2>He faithfully copied the old tablets, noting down for example that a Sumerian sign pronounced "u", could mean marriage gift, burglar, or buttocks.
So kind of similar to "booty"?
Re: The messages that survived civilisation's collapse
#3>He faithfully copied the old tablets, noting down for example that a Sumerian sign pronounced "u", could mean marriage gift, burglar, or buttocks. So kind of similar to "booty"?
A cursory google search tells me our modern version of booty descends from multiple sources and that is the reason for its various definitions. I wonder if this sign went through a similar journey.
Re: The messages that survived civilisation's collapse
#4I like that photograph of kids playing soccer next to a ziggurat built thousands of years ago.
Re: The messages that survived civilisation's collapse
#5The other useful feature is that clay tablets are mostly fireproof, infact a good fire (like one that destroyed alexandra) makes tablets waterproof
Re: The messages that survived civilisation's collapse
#6The other useful feature is that clay tablets are mostly fireproof, infact a good fire (like one that destroyed alexandra) makes tablets waterproof
Also, you should also listen to "The Ark Before Noah" by Irving Finkel
the reason why you should listen to him read his own book, is because he is a one of a kind academic that _lives_ his craft. its infectious as it is informative.
it gives a background about how Sumerian and Akkadian was decoded.
Re: The messages that survived civilisation's collapse
#7All examples of how ancient script can be understood nowadays are due to some connection to modern living languages or side-by-side translations which are connected to some currently used language somehow. Kinda defeats it's own argument. No script survives complete collapse of the culture around it.
Re: The messages that survived civilisation's collapse
#8The clay tablets survived, but the mobile phones they (the Sumerians) seem to be holding didn't. Let that be a lesson to us all!
Re: The messages that survived civilisation's collapse
#9The clay tablets survived, but the mobile phones they (the Sumerians) seem to be holding didn't. Let that be a lesson to us all!
You can't talk live to someone 4000 miles away using clay tablets.
Re: The messages that survived civilisation's collapse
#10The clay tablets survived, but the mobile phones they (the Sumerians) seem to be holding didn't. Let that be a lesson to us all!
You can't talk live to someone 4000 miles away using clay tablets.
Yeah, well, 4000 years later and some people still wonder when we'll get video conferencing to just work.
At least the form factor has held up well.