Advancing human cognition through technology: The impact of writing on civilization [Denise Schmandt-Besserat, ISSS 1998 Plenary Session, July 21/98]

These notes are a rough transcription, prepared as each individual presenter and/or commentator spoke at the ISSS 1998 conference. Gaps and errors have likely occurred. For more accurate citations, please consult the original presenters. These notes have been contributed to the ISSS by David Ing, of the IBM Advanced Business Institute (sabi@systemicbusiness.org).

Denise Schmandt-Besserat, Center for Mideastern Studies

Archaeologist, responsible for excavation between two rivers (Tigris & Euphrates) in Iraq

Sumar, 5000 BC -- beginning of the state

Sumar, 3000 BC -- technology accelerating, beginning of metallurgy

• Invention of the wheel, revolution in transportation
• Invention of writing, revolution of communication
• Termed: the beginning of civilization, as a more enlightened and richer way of life.

Goddess: an accountant, who passed on writing to the humans

• Daniel Dafoe in 1700s says that the gift of writing was received when Moses received the tablets from God
• Hebrew alphabet was received ready-made, ready-to-go

Invention of writing is the result of banal extensions of abstraction

• Found tiny clay objects in small shapes, some with markings -- tokens
• Ubiquitous in place and time (even to 8000 B.C., quit by 3000 B.C.)
• A system: consistently finding small discs, big discs, etc.
• Relation with writing, because earliest tablets were done using these tokens
• Tokens similar to signs for oil, sugar, honey, ...
• These were a system of counters, used for units of goods, used before writing, and leading to the invention of writing.

• Tokens come from 8000 B.C., in the fertile crescent, where agriculture started.
• 8000 B.C. starts with domestication of plants
• Required counting, for which tokens were created
• Cone -- litter of grain; sphere as bushel of grain, etc.
• The tokens are the first symbolic symbol to communicate, store and manipulate information
• Used to prepare feasts -- allows person to take in a lot of information, and then budget for merchandise given or taken

• Sheep could still be on the meadow, the accountant could count them on the table.
• Abstracting the knowledge from the knower.

• Tokens of oil could only be used to count oil, and nothing else.
• The concept of "one" had not yet been created.

• 3-D tokens were gradually becoming 2-D signs: could have a bowl of clay to be marked (into tablets).
• However, the cone (for corn) was still marked three times: no abstraction of numbers.

• Tablet for corn, with strokes for quantity.
• Bushel of grain becomes 10, litter of grain becomes one.

• Merchandise into counters.
• Counters into 2-d signs.
• 2-d signs no longer attached to merchandise
• Then counting.

• Allowed civilization to do a redistribution system, which could check what everyone was contributing to society.
• Accumulation of wealth fostered industries which revolutionized crafts:
• Metals which allowed cutting arcs which became wheels.
• The creation of weapons.
• Development of art and architecture.

• Are we still on the same trajectory, started from tokens?
• Are electronic devices still on the same path?
• Can these then allow us to reach greater levels of abstraction?

Question

• At home at 8000 B.C., not used to looking at the future.
• Preparing the talk has made her more optimistic.
• There are Sumerian text, which show that people then say themselves at the edge, just like today.