13th October - Cureiform

Words

During this lecture we learnt about the natal origins of written language, words and letterform.

Here you can see counting tokens which were found in Iraq, which are believed to be dating back 9000 years. These tokens are believed to be a new type or medium for helping to record transactions and information. Each tokens shape conveyed a specific meaning. The main material used for the tokens was soft clay. This allowed shapes to be easily pressed into the clay to make a mould. A selection of shapes helped record a transaction.