In understanding typography, the origins of it must be researched as it shows the original context as to why it was created and how this has developed to what it is today.
Previously I created a brief around the origins and evolution of the alphabet, which is obviously very strongly linked to typography. I looked back at the research I compiled at the time and cut it down to the important bits that are relatable to my subject now.
Links to blog posts:
Origins - Sumerian & Cuneiform
There are a number of types of writing systems. These are dependent on the way they represent their underlying languages.
- Logographic
- Logophonetic
- Syllabic
- Consonantal Alphabet (Abjad)
- Syllabic Alphabet (Abugida)
- Segmental Alphabet
The Sumerians were one of the earliest urban societies to emerge in the world, in Southern Mesopotamia more than 5000 years ago. They developed a writing system whose wedge-shaped strokes would influence the style of scripts in the same geographical area for the next 3000 years. Eventually, all of these diverse writing systems, which encompass both logophonetic, consonantal alphabetic, and syllabic systems, became known as cuneiform.
Cuneiform is one of the earliest known systems of writing, distinguished by it's wedge-shaped marks.
It emerged in Sumer in the 4th millennium BC. It began as a series of pictographs. The original Sumarian script was adapted for the writing of eight languages and inspired two languages.
It emerged in Sumer in the 4th millennium BC. It began as a series of pictographs. The original Sumarian script was adapted for the writing of eight languages and inspired two languages.
Evolution of the cuneiform:
Another change in this early system involved the "style" of the signs. The early signs were more "linear" in that the strokes making up the signs were lines and curves. But starting after 3000 BCE these strokes started to evolve into wedges.
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