How to Write in Cuneiform, the Oldest Writing System in the World

Learn to write humanity’s oldest writing system by understanding its wedge-shaped marks and the tools that created them over 5,000 years ago.

From the article in Open Culture: “How to Write in Cuneiform, the Oldest Writing System.” https://www.openculture.com/2025/09/how-to-write-in-cuneiform-the-oldest-writing-system.html

📺 Watch here

Cuneiform Writing

SUMMARY

Cuneiform is the world’s oldest known writing system, developed by ancient Sumerians around 3200 BCE. The name comes from Latin “cuneus” (wedge) due to its distinctive wedge-shaped marks. Originally created by pressing reed styluses into clay tablets, cuneiform evolved from pictographs to abstract symbols representing syllables and words. The system was used for over 3,000 years across multiple ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia.

KEY INSIGHTS

• Cuneiform was written by pressing a reed stylus into wet clay at different angles to create wedge-shaped marks.
• The system began as pictographs but evolved into more abstract symbols representing syllables.
• Writers needed to master both the stylus technique and understand hundreds of different signs.
• Modern learners can practice with clay and stylus replicas or use digital cuneiform keyboards.
• The direction of writing changed over time, from vertical columns to horizontal lines.
• Cuneiform was used to write multiple languages including Sumerian, Akkadian, and Hittite.
• The script was deciphered in the 19th century, unlocking thousands of ancient texts.

Crepi il lupo! 🐺