Stephanie Guerin-Yodice
Another technological innovation unique to the people of Mesopotamia is written communications. The importance of irrigation and access to waterways highlighted in the case study on the kings of Lagash and Umma demonstrates how important communication and documentation was to the ancient Sumerians. It makes sense then, that this region is also responsible for originating communication through shapes, signs, symbols, and eventually, letters. The earliest evidence of written communication, called cuneiform, dates back to 7500 BCE and was found in the form of tokens or seals that served as legal documents, identification, or a form of recordkeeping. These small forms of oddly shaped clay were originally a way to record agricultural and pastoral exchanges that were traded, stored, or sold.[1] Together, the shape of the token and the stylized markings on it convey a pictorial resemblance to the physical object. Much like we use wallets and change purses today, the tokens were stored in larger hollowed-out balls of clay called bulla, which held the items in an “envelope” to represent a sealed contract. Subsequently, trade routes expanded beyond the Sumerian region and there was need for more complex forms of communication. The technological process of the written word advanced toward cuneiform. Cuneiform combines word-concepts (pictograms) with phonics to create monosyllabic words that represent the image and action being described.
The small cylinder seal in Figure 11 dates back to 5000 BCE and represents another form of written communication that is specific to the Mesopotamian region. Fashioned primarily out of stone, these seals became popular because they could be easily carried on a rope or pinned to a garment, making them less cumbersome then the bulla or stone tablets. Made from local stone such as hematite, lapis lazuli, and even obsidian, the objects were made by a burgul or sealcutter who carved a small cylinder from the stone and drilled a hole lengthwise through the middle.[2] Images were carved on the stone so that when it was rolled across wet clay an impression of the writing or design was created.
Cylinder seals were commonly used by anyone involved in business dealings, but they served a more extensive purpose than just recordkeeping. The seals usually bore an individual’s identification and occupation. When the seal was rolled on to a wet clay surface, its image served as a calling card or signature for proof of payment, much like a business card or signature on a credit-card receipt is used today. In addition to personal rank and standing, cylinder seals held decorative motifs that reflected the style and culture of Mesopotamia. Each seal was fashioned out of locally quarried stone with designs that were indicative of the region and the period in which it was created. As a result, archeologists and historians utilize cylinder seals to learn more about the daily lives of people who lived throughout the ancient