WRITING AND CITY LIFE [ANCIENT]

WRITING AND CITY LIFE [ANCIENT]

The city was the only thing that became a constant in the history of humanity. Since ancient times, cities have been centres of commerce, culture, and intellectual exchange from Mesopotamia to the metropolises of today. The collaboration of writing and city life will be the theme of this blog, with a look into how writing and its forms have transformed, and been formed through, urban life over time.

Rise of Literacy: Emergence of Writing and Urbanization.

The first known writing systems arose in Mesopotamia about 3500 BCE when the first cities emerged. Sumerian scribes used cuneiform script to record economic transactions, religious rituals, and administrative matters. This early relationship between writing and city life had not been accidental. With their complex social structures and economic activities, cities required a system for keeping information in hand and communicating over considerable distances.

Role of Writing in Old Days Civilizations

The early Egyptian texts in the language were in the form of hieroglyphs, which comprised religious texts, historical events, and scientific knowledge. Consequently, the Egyptian scribes who mastered the difficult writing system occupied powerful and prestigious positions in society. It was during ancient Greece that the Greek alphabet, which was invented, facilitated plentiful written works due to the emerging improvements in literature, philosophy, and historical accounts. The Athenian agora-the public space at which citizens gathered to discuss politics and culture- provided anecdotal proof of the role played by written forms of communication in Greek society.

The Role of Writing on Urbanization

Cities have felt the brunt of the innovations made in the development of writing systems. Information recorded and kept allowed cities to expand and be complex because, with a writing system, information could now be recorded and kept. Libraries and archives, therefore, became part of the necessary structures to store and convey knowledge. This opened opportunities for increased trade, diplomacy, and cultural exchange where cities with more developed writing systems could communicate, over long distances, through written messages.

Inspiration for Writers Given by the City

Cities have also inspired writers across the passage of history. From the streets filled with numerous diverse cultures and social activities, cities have provided numerous themes and settings in literary works. From ancient epics, by Homer, to the latest works of Charles Dickens in modern novels, cities have been portrayed in the realistic theme of both.