Relation Between Books and Use of Clay Tablets
Acknowledgement
I would like to
express my sincere gratefulness to Department of Journalism and Mass
Communication, for making this seminar paper. I am equally thankful to Head of
Department Prof. P. Kharel, and prof. Chiranjivi Khanal, whose true guidance
and timely instruction made me carry out the term paper related to topic of “Books
and use of Clay tablets" more effectively and thus I have been able to
bring out the report to this from. I am thankful to all the Prof. and teachers
of the Department as well as my college mates for their continuous support and
invaluable co-operation throughout the studies. Their company is always marked
as the most precious. And again thanks to Prof. Chiranjivi Khanal.
Narayan
Prasad Ahikari
2071/02/14
Books
and use of clay tablets
Background
The rise
of human civilization is very old and mostly concerned with hunting for survive
by using stone -made and clay- made utensil writing materials. Moreover it is
apt to owe Sigmund Freud "The first human being who hurled and insult
instead of a rock was the true founder of civilization." Civilization and
cultural require a knowledge of all the qualities that make human being full
understanding of old history and historical development human history directly related to stone and clay and these
are the origin of the systematic reward
of history ,for example; clay tablets.
Introduction of
clay tablets
Clay
tablets ware used as a writing medium. In the ancient time Near-East. It is a
cuneiform writing style. Cuneiform letters ware printed on a wet clay tablets
with a ink pen that was made by Egyptians out of reed. After written upend wet
clay, many tablets ware dried in sun or air. Letter these fired clay tablets
could be soaked in water and recycled into new clean tablets. Others types of
tablets ware fired in "Kilns" for making them hard and durable.
Collection of these clay documents were the first archives. These were the root
of first libraries. In tae Minoan civilizations, writing ware used as
accounting. Therefore, tablets ware used for annual accounting by sophisticated
class. In this cultural region tablets ware never fired deliberately.
Introduction of books
According to the Thomas
Carlyle "in books lies the soul of the whole past time." Present
modern books ware in the form of clay tablets in past. Gradual development of
clay tablets ultimately becomes books. Books are the medium of communication in
present and past. Gradually, books take the form of mass communication and
these are come in the hand of public form elite class. In otherworld's, power
circulated and transmitted from upper to lower level. The earliest from of paper
was papyrus believed to having used as a early Egypt 4000 B.C. . Moreover,
parchment and skin like materials ware the paper books. In the course of time,
Romains developed a form of binding called "Codex" in the 4th century.
However, some of the tablets ware
fired owing to its safe. The unfired clay tablets are extremely fragile; some
modern scholars are investigative the possibility of firing them now for its
preservation.
Objectives
This piece of work
revolves around the following objectives.
1.
To find out the
history and background of clay tablets.
2.
To find out the
history and condition of book.
3.
To offer the brief
developmental history of books and clay.
4.
To find out the
how to use of clay tablets.
Methodology
Following methods were implementing
to fulfill the objectives of this research.
1. Research
is thoroughly based on secondary source and the information collect via
different books.
2. Collection
of data through online sources, and websites.
3. Study
and the practice in classroom while the class began to till dates that help me
for the guidelines to prepare this paper.
4. Discussion
and analytical view presented by different jargons and journalist in relation
with me.
The origins of books
How soon after the invention of
writing men began to make books is uncertain because the books themselves have
not survived. The oldest surviving examples of writing are on clay or stone.
The more fragile materials used for writing at various times have generally
perished. The earliest known books are the clay tablets of Mesopotamia
and the papyrus rolls of Egypt. There are examples of both dating from the early
3rd millennium bc.
The ancient Sumerians, Babylonians,
Assyrians, and Hittites wrote on tablets made from water-cleaned clay. Although
these writing bricks varied in shape and dimension, a common form was a thin
quadrilateral tile about five inches long. While the clay was still wet, the
writer used a stylus to inscribe it with cuneiform characters. By writing on
every surface in small characters, he could copy a substantial text on a single
tablet. For longer texts he used several tablets, linking them together by
numbers and catchwords as is done in modern books.
Book production on clay tablets
probably continued for 2,000 years. The nature and volume of the surviving
records from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor indicate a heavy emphasis on the
preservative function of writing and the book. Either dried in the sun or baked
in a kiln, clay tablets were almost indestructible. The latter process was used
for texts of special value, legal codes, royal annals, and epics to ensure
greater preservation. Buried for thousands of years in the mounds of forgotten
cities, they have been removed intact in modern archaeological excavations. The
number of clay tablets recovered approaches 500,000, but new finds continually
add to the total. The largest surviving category consists of private commercial
documents and government archives. Of the remainder, many are duplications of
texts.
Clay tablets are usually associated
with cuneiform writing, a script that takes its modern name
from the wedge-shaped (from Latin cuneus, “wedge”) marks made by the
stylus in clay. When the Aramaic language and alphabet arose in the 6th century
bc, the clay tablet book declined because clay was less suited than papyrus to
the Aramaic characters
Scribes
The clay tablets ware
used for recording what was happening during scribe's time. These scribes ware
as easily leave its marking on the clay. Clay tablets ware very essential
components for scribes writing and it come in a variety of colors like bone white,
Chocolate Charcoal etc. Pictographs ware them beginning to appear on the clay
tablets during 4000 B.C. to 2000 B.C. Human writing ware very different in its
starting phase as signs and character. These special characters had their own
special meaning to take account of what was going on. This all began when
people developed agriculture. All the events and items were recorded at that
time by clay token. In 3000 B. C. Sumerians started the writing of clay tablets.
They used it to refer "Pictograph". Pictographs are symbol that
express a picture based on the sound of word. Ancient Egyptians called such
pictographs as hieroglyphs.
Use of clay
tablets
Clay tablets took the
form of literary writings latter. It became very useful and handy. They used it
for story writing, recipes, and also for individual recording. Clay tablets
ware used for communications over 3000in different 15 languages. Sumerians,
Babylonians and Eblaites all had their own clay tablets libraries.
Evaluation
of clay tablets
Sumerians clay tablets
ware very complicated to understand. There are many literary works,
dictionaries, omens etc in Baghdad. Ugrians took advantage and created the
first of the alphabets. The clay tablets was said to have 32 Cuneiform letters
which was discovered in Syria about 1450 B.C. Egyptians also copied it before
they used hieroglyphics.
Type of hieroglyphics
At that time two types
hieroglyphics.
1)
Logograms
(ideas)
2)
Phonograms (sound)
Progress of human
civilization has very long history and it is direct related to clay tablets and
history of book publication; for example MAGNACARTA, American Declaration of In
depends copy-right provision etc are the achievement given by clay tablets and
Books.
Mesopotamia was the origin
of the first human civilization in Neolithic Era. Neolithic civilization was
begun from clay tablets. How to sue metals too make tools and weapons in Neolithic
Era, where people knew from the progress of communication and civilization. It
was flourished mode in the Bronze Age in Egypt, Europe and Asia. After the beginning
of the then of the then communication means- clay tablets.
In Mesopotamia, at first
people began plugging field by using ox. The ox the first stapes to the steam
engine and gasoline motor. Gradually
from Syria, Mesopotamia and Asia Minor the enervation Transportation for selling goods in about
3500 B.C.
Sumerians ware the
first to develop writing but it was uncertain; it was also the oldest writing
system- the clay tablets. The earlier writing of the Sumerian was picture
writing similar in some way to Egyptian hieroglyphs. To the draw the picture
they used a stylus a straight pace of read with a three cornered end. Stylus
could produce the best triangular forms and straight lines. This kind of
writing on clay is called "Cuneiform" - from the lotion census. When these
symbols come they were directly associated with sound of the thing shown rather
than the idea of the things. Each sign represented of syllable. Although,
cuneiform writing was still used long after the alphabet appear. It never fully
developed and alphabet. The cuneiform picture wares the concrete things. Such
as a person, a sheep, a star etc. Picture also represented idea for example;
the of a flood was used to representative the idea of walking and a mouth
joined to that for water meant "to drink"
Cuneiform was difficult
to learn to master it children usually want to temple school. Using a clay
tablets as a text book, the teacher wrote on the left-hand side and pupil
copied the model on the right. Any mistakes could be smoothed out. The pupil
began by making single wedges in various positions and then wants the groups of
wedges. Thousand of groups had to be mastered. Finally the pupil was assigned a
book to copy but the work was also slow and laborious. Many first chapters of
all the important Sumerians works have been handed down from the students
tablets, but only fragments of the rest of the books survive.
History
of books
When Johannus Guttenberg
invented printing press than starts the modern age of press. First of all, it
published the Bible and history of the books, started from the Bible, Kuran
Bed and any religious books. Before that book ware published through laborious
and slow hand writing. Furthermore, the developing the printing press was
innovated in China a mostly in the 9th century. The first printed book is
"Diamond Sutra". The size and shape of this book was different than
modern book. Similarly, in Europe, Johannes Gutenberg was contributed to establish
the printing press. The language of them book was usually vernacular.
In America Stephen Daye
was the first printer and he published "The Whole Book of Psalms and
American Bible in 1663."
At that time, "Almanac"
was the most popular book, it was written by Poor Richard. It book was regularly
published from 1733 to 1758 by the Benjamin Franklin. Franklin wanted to give
knowledge and the established a subscription library in America. Similarly,
Congress formally started the Congress library in America by buying of personal
library of Thomas Jefferson in 1815.
The development of mass
media in European country is very important to discuss in England Iron press
replaced the word. In Germany, steam power replaced hand production and in
America Rotary Press replaced Cylinder. Rotary press was the high speed
printing machines unto that time 90 percent of American had become
liberated.
The types
of Books
We can find different
types of books in market. We can categories three types three types of books;
General, Professional and Educational.
General books are like
trade books. It gives scenario of society. General books include reference
works, fiction, poetry, humor, biography, religion and so on. So, such types of
books are different, we can find many more of general books in market. Every
human being can read such types of books are interesting to read. General books
are generally sold through bookstores and libraries to general readership.
Mostly, professional
books are often written by specialist, for example; Doctors, Lawyers,
Scientists, Teachers and so on. Such types of books focus for the needs to
specialized reader, who related or involved in these field. So ordinary readers
cannot understand these types of books. It is also related to particular
subject matter or typical field. Professional books are generally sold through
in special technical and its prices higher than other books.
Education books occupy
the longer area of the world. It is related to the course books. Literary rate
is increasing day by day in the world. So generally education books are more
sold in the market than other books. Most of these books are written by
teachers, collage professor or specialist. Educational books constitute the
largest segment of the industry. Increasingly, books are becoming journalistic
media because they can be produced and marketed rapidly, and they provide the
journalist with the ability to deal with a subject with drama and depth.
Books
in Nepal
Obscurity lies in the
commencement of publishing books in Nepal, but the publishing initiated after
the introduce of "Gidde press", by former Rana prime minister - Jung Bahadur.
During the autocratic Rana regime individuals were curtailed to publish the
books but some of the books related with rituals and culture were the major
facets of book publishment. Among the Rana prime minister, Dev Sumsher was the
only ruler who unscrewed the stringent policy of publication as a result it
fostered to groom Sudhasagar -1955 B.S, and Gorkhapatra -1958, which were the
notable tenants of publication during the era.
Aadikavi Bhanubhakta Acharya, Moti Ram Bhatta, Lekhnath Poudyal were the
major literary figures around the millennium who published lots of books making
satire using persona towards the Ranaji. After 2007 B.S people right to speak
and publish came into promulgation which at the end of the day opened arrays of
books publication and constitution of 2047 further bolstered by coding press
freedom and publication. Resultantly, we witnessed the flourishment of press
agencies and the published materials of different types. Now books are
published under various domains and interest of the targeted readers. Which
invites digitalized media and to make surveillance and supervision over it
various ethical code of conduct came into practice. Recurrently, unfair
practice of plagiarism ignited the controversy along with breaching cyber law.
Conclusion
Being precise, clay
tablets were the primitive form of documentation by engraving in a mud with the
help of wedge. Therefore it acts as the mode of archiving the ancient
manuscripts. Mesopotamian civilization was the harbinger of writing forms which
later on bolstered to produce literatures. So if we can compare with human
developing stage and clay tablets it is the infantry stage and later on turned
into fully developed matured being. Similarly, book is the changed form of clay
tablets. Book is initiated after the intrusion of printing press. Book was more
convenient and portable irrespective to clay tablet. When I research this
topic, I found the clay tablets is the chief medium of the communication at
that time. Clay tablets are the root of modern movable press. Books and clay
both are equally important to develop the world and it is closed relation to
each other. That’s why, clay and books are old communication medium.
References
HUB,(1988).Mass Media V: An Introduction to Modern
Communication: New York
Online sources and websites
Google sources
