daniel/factbase-ancient-history
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull Requests Actions Packages Projects Releases Wiki Activity

initial repo seedings

Browse Source
This commit is contained in:
daniel
2026-02-22 21:35:29 +00:00
parent a2864b3522
commit 23098547f1
80 changed files with 7486 additions and 0 deletions
Download Patch File Download Diff File Expand all files Collapse all files

105
writing-systems/cuneiform.md Normal file
View File

@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
<!-- factbase:f36cdb -->
# Cuneiform
# Cuneiform
## Overview
Cuneiform is the earliest known writing system, developed in Sumer ~3400 BCE. Written by pressing a reed stylus into wet clay tablets, it was used for over 3,000 years across multiple languages and civilizations.
## Key Facts
- Origin: Sumer, southern Mesopotamia, ~3400 BCE
- Medium: Clay tablets impressed with a wedge-shaped reed stylus
- Name: From Latin *cuneus* ("wedge")
- Languages written: Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Elamite, Urartian, Old Persian
- Deciphered by: Henry Rawlinson, Edward Hincks, and others (~1840s–1850s) via the Behistun Inscription [^1]
## Development
- Began as pictographic/logographic system for accounting (~3400 BCE)
- Evolved into syllabic writing by ~2600 BCE
- ~600–1,000 signs in use at various periods
- Last known cuneiform tablet: 75 CE (astronomical text from Babylon) [^2]
## Significance
- Enabled record-keeping, literature, law, science, and diplomacy
- Preserved the *Epic of Gilgamesh*, Code of Hammurabi, and thousands of administrative records
- ~500,000 cuneiform tablets have been excavated; many remain untranslated
---
[^1]: Walker, C.B.F. *Cuneiform* (British Museum, 1987)
[^2]: Robson, E. *Mathematics in Ancient Iraq* (Princeton, 2008)
---
## Review Queue
<!-- factbase:review -->
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Origin: Sumer, southern Mesopotamia, ~3400 BCE" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Medium: Clay tablets impressed with a wedge-shaped reed stylus" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Name: From Latin *cuneus* ("wedge")" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Languages written: Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Elamite, Urartian, Old Persian" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 14: "Deciphered by: Henry Rawlinson, Edward Hincks, and others (~1840s–1850s) vi..." - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Began as pictographic/logographic system for accounting (~3400 BCE)" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Evolved into syllabic writing by ~2600 BCE" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "~600–1,000 signs in use at various periods" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "Last known cuneiform tablet: 75 CE (astronomical text from Babylon) [^2]" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Enabled record-keeping, literature, law, science, and diplomacy" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Preserved the *Epic of Gilgamesh*, Code of Hammurabi, and thousands of admini..." - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "~500,000 cuneiform tablets have been excavated; many remain untranslated" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Origin: Sumer, southern Mesopotamia, ~3400 BCE" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Medium: Clay tablets impressed with a wedge-shaped reed stylus" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Name: From Latin *cuneus* ("wedge")" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Languages written: Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Elamite, Urartian, Old Persian" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Began as pictographic/logographic system for accounting (~3400 BCE)" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Evolved into syllabic writing by ~2600 BCE" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "~600–1,000 signs in use at various periods" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 23: "Enabled record-keeping, literature, law, science, and diplomacy" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Preserved the *Epic of Gilgamesh*, Code of Hammurabi, and thousands of admini..." - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "~500,000 cuneiform tablets have been excavated; many remain untranslated" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 14: "Deciphered by: Henry Rawlinson, Edward Hincks, and others (~1840s–1850s) vi..." - Walker source from 1987 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
>
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 20: "Last known cuneiform tablet: 75 CE (astronomical text from Babylon) [^2]" - Robson source from 2008 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
>

98
writing-systems/egyptian-hieroglyphics.md Normal file
View File

@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
<!-- factbase:68261c -->
# Egyptian Hieroglyphics
# Egyptian Hieroglyphics
## Overview
Egyptian hieroglyphics were the formal writing system of ancient Egypt, used for ~3,500 years on monuments, temples, and tombs. Deciphered by Jean-François Champollion in 1822 using the Rosetta Stone.
## Key Facts
- Origin: ~3200 BCE (earliest examples from Abydos)
- Period of use: ~3200 BCE – ~400 CE
- Number of signs: ~700 in classical usage (expanded to ~5,000 in Ptolemaic period)
- Deciphered by: Jean-François Champollion (1822) using the Rosetta Stone [^1]
## System
- Combination of logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic elements
- Written left-to-right, right-to-left, or top-to-bottom (direction indicated by which way figures face)
- Hieratic: Cursive form for everyday use (~2600 BCE onward)
- Demotic: Later cursive form (~650 BCE onward)
## Key Artifacts
- Rosetta Stone (196 BCE): Trilingual decree (hieroglyphic, Demotic, Greek) that enabled decipherment [^2]
- Narmer Palette (~3100 BCE): Among the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions
- Book of the Dead: Funerary texts with hieroglyphic illustrations
---
[^1]: Robinson, A. *Cracking the Egyptian Code* (Thames & Hudson, 2012)
[^2]: Parkinson, R. *The Rosetta Stone* (British Museum, 2005)
---
## Review Queue
<!-- factbase:review -->
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Origin: ~3200 BCE (earliest examples from Abydos)" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Period of use: ~3200 BCE – ~400 CE" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Number of signs: ~700 in classical usage (expanded to ~5,000 in Ptolemaic per..." - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Deciphered by: Jean-François Champollion (1822) using the Rosetta Stone [^1]" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 16: "Combination of logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic elements" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Written left-to-right, right-to-left, or top-to-bottom (direction indicated b..." - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Hieratic: Cursive form for everyday use (~2600 BCE onward)" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Demotic: Later cursive form (~650 BCE onward)" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 22: "Rosetta Stone (196 BCE): Trilingual decree (hieroglyphic, Demotic, Greek) tha..." - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Narmer Palette (~3100 BCE): Among the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Book of the Dead: Funerary texts with hieroglyphic illustrations" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Origin: ~3200 BCE (earliest examples from Abydos)" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Period of use: ~3200 BCE – ~400 CE" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Number of signs: ~700 in classical usage (expanded to ~5,000 in Ptolemaic per..." - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 16: "Combination of logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic elements" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Written left-to-right, right-to-left, or top-to-bottom (direction indicated b..." - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Hieratic: Cursive form for everyday use (~2600 BCE onward)" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Demotic: Later cursive form (~650 BCE onward)" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 23: "Narmer Palette (~3100 BCE): Among the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Book of the Dead: Funerary texts with hieroglyphic illustrations" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 13: "Deciphered by: Jean-François Champollion (1822) using the Rosetta Stone [^1]" - Robinson source from 2012 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
>
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 22: "Rosetta Stone (196 BCE): Trilingual decree (hieroglyphic, Demotic, Greek) tha..." - Parkinson source from 2005 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
>

105
writing-systems/phoenician-alphabet.md Normal file
View File

@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
<!-- factbase:a94620 -->
# Phoenician Alphabet
# Phoenician Alphabet
## Overview
The Phoenician alphabet (~1050 BCE) was the first widely-used phonetic alphabet, consisting of 22 consonant letters. It is the ancestor of virtually all modern alphabets including Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew.
## Key Facts
- Origin: Phoenicia (modern Lebanon), ~1050 BCE
- Type: Abjad (consonantal alphabet, no vowels)
- Number of letters: 22
- Direction: Right to left
- Derived from: Proto-Sinaitic/Proto-Canaanite script (~1800 BCE) [^1]
## Descendants
- Greek alphabet (~800 BCE): Added vowels, adapted letter forms
- Aramaic alphabet: Ancestor of Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, and many Asian scripts
- Latin alphabet (via Greek and Etruscan): Used by most of the modern world
- South Arabian script: Ancestor of Ethiopic (Ge'ez) [^2]
## Significance
- Simplified writing from hundreds of signs (cuneiform, hieroglyphics) to 22 letters
- Made literacy more accessible beyond scribal elites
- Spread across the Mediterranean through Phoenician trade networks
---
[^1]: Sass, B. *The Genesis of the Alphabet* (1988)
[^2]: Daniels, P.T. & Bright, W. *The World's Writing Systems* (Oxford, 1996)
---
## Review Queue
<!-- factbase:review -->
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Origin: Phoenicia (modern Lebanon), ~1050 BCE" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Type: Abjad (consonantal alphabet, no vowels)" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Number of letters: 22" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Direction: Right to left" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 14: "Derived from: Proto-Sinaitic/Proto-Canaanite script (~1800 BCE) [^1]" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Greek alphabet (~800 BCE): Added vowels, adapted letter forms" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Aramaic alphabet: Ancestor of Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, and many Asian scripts" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Latin alphabet (via Greek and Etruscan): Used by most of the modern world" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "South Arabian script: Ancestor of Ethiopic (Ge'ez) [^2]" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Simplified writing from hundreds of signs (cuneiform, hieroglyphics) to 22 le..." - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Made literacy more accessible beyond scribal elites" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Spread across the Mediterranean through Phoenician trade networks" - when was this true?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Origin: Phoenicia (modern Lebanon), ~1050 BCE" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Type: Abjad (consonantal alphabet, no vowels)" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Number of letters: 22" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Direction: Right to left" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Greek alphabet (~800 BCE): Added vowels, adapted letter forms" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Aramaic alphabet: Ancestor of Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, and many Asian scripts" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Latin alphabet (via Greek and Etruscan): Used by most of the modern world" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 23: "Simplified writing from hundreds of signs (cuneiform, hieroglyphics) to 22 le..." - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Made literacy more accessible beyond scribal elites" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "Spread across the Mediterranean through Phoenician trade networks" - what is the source?
>
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 14: "Derived from: Proto-Sinaitic/Proto-Canaanite script (~1800 BCE) [^1]" - Sass source from 1988 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
>
- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 20: "South Arabian script: Ancestor of Ethiopic (Ge'ez) [^2]" - Daniels source from 1996 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
>