This video features a tutorial on writing Cuneiform, the world's oldest writing system, presented by Dr. Irving Finkel, a curator from the British Museum, to hosts Matt, Tom, and Nick. Dr. Finkel explains that Cuneiform is composed of only three basic wedge shapes (upright, horizontal, and diagonal) impressed into wet clay using a stylus. The writing system is syllabic, requiring students about six years to master the hundreds of signs, though the basics can be grasped quickly. The lesson includes a practical demonstration where the hosts attempt to write their names ("Matt" and "Tam") using the Cuneiform chart. The discussion also touches upon the historical evolution of the signs from pictograms (like a drawing of a bird) into wedge forms and the concept of Cuneiform as a form of calligraphy. A dramatic hypothetical scenario is described where a naturally occurring patterned stone, resembling Cuneiform, could lead to the collapse of established learning if mistaken for a divine message. The video concludes with the hosts successfully practicing basic signs and being allowed to take home their clay tablets.
Learning the World's Oldest Script: A Cuneiform Lesson with Dr. Irving Finkel
0:00:03 Introduction of Cuneiform: Dr. Irving Finkel, a British Museum curator, introduces Cuneiform as the oldest writing system in the world, noting the museum holds 130,000 tablets.
0:01:04 Tablet History: Dr. Finkel clarifies that only a small percentage of the collection is fully understood.
0:01:11 School Tablet Demonstration: The instructor shows a borrowed, round school tablet featuring repetitive signs as examples of school exercises.
0:01:54 Cuneiform Components: The writing is named from the Latin cuneus (wedge) because signs are impressed into clay with a stylus, not written with ink. There are only three core components: the upright, horizontal, and diagonal wedge.
0:03:07 Syllabic Nature: All signs are syllabic; to write a word like "banana," one combines the signs for "ba," "na," and "na." The alphabet was never developed.
0:03:50 Learning Curve: Mastering the entire script requires approximately six years of dedicated work.
0:04:45 Practical Exercise Setup: The hosts are given a Cuneiform chart and prepare to write their names, "Matt" and "Tam," using the phonetic syllables.
0:05:09 Syllable Breakdown: The syllable "Ma" is shown to consist of one vertical wedge and three horizontal wedges. The syllable "at" is also demonstrated.
0:05:46 Stylus Impression: The shape of the wedges results from the corner of the reed stylus displacing the clay, creating a characteristic corner shape, not just a straight line.
0:07:05 Historical Origin: Signs historically evolved from realistic pictograms (e.g., a drawing of a bird simplifying over a thousand years) into the wedge-based system.
0:10:15 Preparing to Write: Participants are given clay tablets (prepared to look like those from circa 1800 BC) and popsicle sticks to use as styli.
0:10:58 Correct Stylus Grip: The stylus should be held firmly, not like a pencil, using the right-angle corner of the stick's edge to press into the clay.
Diagonal Wedge: Created by pressing the sharp corner of the stylus into the clay at an angle.
Horizontal Wedge: Created by turning the stylus 90 degrees and pressing the lower edge.
0:15:39 Calligraphy and Flow: Professional scribes wrote with a sense of calligraphy, ensuring signs flowed together seamlessly, which is described as "joined up writing."
0:16:33 Preservation: Tablets baked hard in the sun or preserved underground (even when wet) survived for millennia, unlike paper.
0:18:38 The Stone Story: Dr. Finkel recounts a hypothetical horror story about a naturally fractured stone resembling Cuneiform being mistaken for a divine message, potentially undermining all established knowledge.
0:22:28 Conclusion and Takeaway: The hosts thank the doctor for teaching them to write their names in Cuneiform, and they are allowed to take their clay tablets home.