Communication
is as old as the earth. It started on earth with man when God formed man and
woman; He gave them instructions by means of communication. As time progresses,
civilisation became more complex and knowledge increase, a more effective
methods was inculcated with significant changes in communication technologies
(media and appropriate inscription tools) evolving in tandem with shifts in
political and economic systems, and by extension, systems of power. The report
of the cumulative wisdom of mankind beginning with the primitive early cultures
or civilisation is what differentiates us from animals. Man has always
communicated orally but other more permanent forms of communication evolve as
life becomes more settle and complex. Communication can range from very subtle
processes of exchange, to full conversations and mass communication. Human
communication was revolutionized with speech approximately 100,000 years ago.
Symbols were developed about
30,000 years ago, and writing about 5000 years ago.
is as old as the earth. It started on earth with man when God formed man and
woman; He gave them instructions by means of communication. As time progresses,
civilisation became more complex and knowledge increase, a more effective
methods was inculcated with significant changes in communication technologies
(media and appropriate inscription tools) evolving in tandem with shifts in
political and economic systems, and by extension, systems of power. The report
of the cumulative wisdom of mankind beginning with the primitive early cultures
or civilisation is what differentiates us from animals. Man has always
communicated orally but other more permanent forms of communication evolve as
life becomes more settle and complex. Communication can range from very subtle
processes of exchange, to full conversations and mass communication. Human
communication was revolutionized with speech approximately 100,000 years ago.
Symbols were developed about
30,000 years ago, and writing about 5000 years ago.
Paleolithic
This refers
to the earliest period of the Stone Age, during which primitive human beings
emerged and the first stone tools were made. This cultural period of the Stone
Age, began about 2 million years ago, marked by the earliest use of tools made
of chipped stone.
to the earliest period of the Stone Age, during which primitive human beings
emerged and the first stone tools were made. This cultural period of the Stone
Age, began about 2 million years ago, marked by the earliest use of tools made
of chipped stone.
Cave
Paintings
Paintings
The
oldest known symbols created with the purpose of communication through time are
the cave paintings, a form of rock art, dating to the Upper Paleolithic. Just
as the small child first learns to draw before it masters more complex forms of
communication, so homo sapiens’ first attempts at passing information through
time took the form of paintings. The oldest known cave painting is that of the
Chauvet Cave, dating to around 30,000 BC. Around 30,000 BC murals were
painted on cave walls that told stories of battles, hunts, and culture. Cave paintings demonstrate early
humans’ capacity to give meaning to their surroundings and communicate with
others.
oldest known symbols created with the purpose of communication through time are
the cave paintings, a form of rock art, dating to the Upper Paleolithic. Just
as the small child first learns to draw before it masters more complex forms of
communication, so homo sapiens’ first attempts at passing information through
time took the form of paintings. The oldest known cave painting is that of the
Chauvet Cave, dating to around 30,000 BC. Around 30,000 BC murals were
painted on cave walls that told stories of battles, hunts, and culture. Cave paintings demonstrate early
humans’ capacity to give meaning to their surroundings and communicate with
others.
Petroglyphs
Petroglyphs are engravings or carvings into the
rock panel. They are created with the use of a hard hammer stone, which is
battered against the stone surface. In certain societies, the choice of hammer
stone itself has religious significance. In other instances, the rock art is
pecked out through indirect percussion, as a second rock is used like a chisel
between the hammer stone and the panel. Around 10,000 BC images were created by removing part
of a rock surface by incising, pecking, carving, and abrading. Petroglyphs are
thought to represent some kind of not-yet-fully understood symbolic or ritual
language.
rock panel. They are created with the use of a hard hammer stone, which is
battered against the stone surface. In certain societies, the choice of hammer
stone itself has religious significance. In other instances, the rock art is
pecked out through indirect percussion, as a second rock is used like a chisel
between the hammer stone and the panel. Around 10,000 BC images were created by removing part
of a rock surface by incising, pecking, carving, and abrading. Petroglyphs are
thought to represent some kind of not-yet-fully understood symbolic or ritual
language.
Ideogram
A written character that symbolizes the idea of a
thing without indicating the sounds used to say it, e.g., numerals and Chinese
characters. Pictograms,
in turn, evolved into ideograms, graphical symbols that represent an idea.
Because some ideas are universal, many different cultures developed similar
ideograms. For example an eye with a tear means ‘sadness’. Ideograms were precursors of logographic. In
both pictogram and ideograms, there are claims of decipherment of linguistic
content, without wide acceptance.
thing without indicating the sounds used to say it, e.g., numerals and Chinese
characters. Pictograms,
in turn, evolved into ideograms, graphical symbols that represent an idea.
Because some ideas are universal, many different cultures developed similar
ideograms. For example an eye with a tear means ‘sadness’. Ideograms were precursors of logographic. In
both pictogram and ideograms, there are claims of decipherment of linguistic
content, without wide acceptance.
Writing
The oldest-known forms of writing were primarily
logographic in nature, based on pictographic and ideographic elements. Most
writing systems can be broadly divided into three categories: logographic, syllabic and
alphabetic (or segmental);
however, all three may be found in any given writing system in varying
proportions, often making it difficult to categorise a system uniquely. The
invention of the first writing systems is roughly contemporary in with the
beginning of the Bronze Age in the late Neolithic of the late 4000 BC. Writing is a
sequence of letters, words, or symbols marked on paper or other surface. It
started around 2700 BC.
logographic in nature, based on pictographic and ideographic elements. Most
writing systems can be broadly divided into three categories: logographic, syllabic and
alphabetic (or segmental);
however, all three may be found in any given writing system in varying
proportions, often making it difficult to categorise a system uniquely. The
invention of the first writing systems is roughly contemporary in with the
beginning of the Bronze Age in the late Neolithic of the late 4000 BC. Writing is a
sequence of letters, words, or symbols marked on paper or other surface. It
started around 2700 BC.
Sumerians
The
earliest known civilisation according to archaeological evidence revealed, that
first writing system developed in 3100 B.C in the valley of Euphrates and
Tigris, in Mesopotemia. The history has it that they produce the first written
records on clay tablet listing stores and crops kept by the Sumerians into
cuneiform. The original Sumerian writing system was derived from a system of
clay tokens used to represent commodities. By the end of the 4th millennium BC,
this had evolved into a method of keeping accounts, using a round-shaped stylus
impressed into soft clay at different angles for recording numbers. This was
gradually augmented with pictographic writing using a sharp stylus to indicate
what was being counted. Round-stylus and sharp-stylus writing was gradually
replaced about 2700-2000 BC by writing using a wedge-shaped stylus (hence the
term cuneiform), at first only for logograms, but developed to include phonetic
elements by the 2800 BC. About 2600 BC cuneiform began to represent syllables
of spoken Sumerian language.
earliest known civilisation according to archaeological evidence revealed, that
first writing system developed in 3100 B.C in the valley of Euphrates and
Tigris, in Mesopotemia. The history has it that they produce the first written
records on clay tablet listing stores and crops kept by the Sumerians into
cuneiform. The original Sumerian writing system was derived from a system of
clay tokens used to represent commodities. By the end of the 4th millennium BC,
this had evolved into a method of keeping accounts, using a round-shaped stylus
impressed into soft clay at different angles for recording numbers. This was
gradually augmented with pictographic writing using a sharp stylus to indicate
what was being counted. Round-stylus and sharp-stylus writing was gradually
replaced about 2700-2000 BC by writing using a wedge-shaped stylus (hence the
term cuneiform), at first only for logograms, but developed to include phonetic
elements by the 2800 BC. About 2600 BC cuneiform began to represent syllables
of spoken Sumerian language.
Finally, cuneiform writing became a general
purpose writing system for logograms, syllables, and numbers. By the 26th
century BC, this script had been adapted to another Mesopotamian language,
Akkadian, and from there to others such as Hurrian, and Hittite. Scripts
similar in appearance to this writing system include those for Ugaritic and Old
Persian. The Sumerian logographic writing became the syllabic writing of
Elamites and Hurrians. The Semite of Palestine modified the early Egyptian
writing. The Japanese adapted the Chinese logographs.
purpose writing system for logograms, syllables, and numbers. By the 26th
century BC, this script had been adapted to another Mesopotamian language,
Akkadian, and from there to others such as Hurrian, and Hittite. Scripts
similar in appearance to this writing system include those for Ugaritic and Old
Persian. The Sumerian logographic writing became the syllabic writing of
Elamites and Hurrians. The Semite of Palestine modified the early Egyptian
writing. The Japanese adapted the Chinese logographs.
