Schools of writing

Welcome, fellow members of the Carpe Diem group, to the first of November, 2011; or, as I like to refer to it, 11-1-11.

:)

Now, moving on to the actual content of my post.

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I did a bit of research on schools in Ancient Egypt - you might remember me mentioning something about it in an earlier post. This time I went into a bit more detail.

Relative to our discussion of the idea of restricted or hidden knowledge, schooling in Egypt was very much dependent on wealth.

According to this site (which I used to find much of the information that follows), they would only be taught the subjects that were required for their future careers, instead of the more scholastic spread of subjects that we typically receive schooling in today. Therefore, another limiting factor in the schooling one recieved was their future occupation - decided by their father before they began school

Here's something I definitely didn't know before - 'scribe' refers not only to the person who wrote, but to a specific set of instrumentation used for writing.

Here's a picture of a scribe that would have been used in Egyptian schools:

The scribe consisted of three parts - a brush, a small container of water, and a container with a small amount of red and black inks. The same site I cited above describes it as being similar to waterpaints we use today.

But they didn't paint on papyrus in the schools, and they didn't carve into rocks (Obviously. Brushes aren't great chisels). Since papyrus was so labor intensive to make the students practiced on white limestone tablets.

See here for an example of papyrus making- really, it takes some serious time and effort to make papyrus, even with modern tools to assist you.

Like I also mentioned in that other post, Egyptian teachers were very strict. From that same site:

"The school master had total control over the pupils. The students were expected to work as hard as they could,and were often beaten on their backs with a rod for talking, being sleepy, slow or lazy."

Sheesh. I'd be dead by now if we got beaten for being sleepy in my schools.

This further reduced the number of students who were able to learn writing due to potential drop-outs (again, my previous post), which meant the knowledge of writing was restricted even further.

I saw an odd correlation with something that was mentioned in my Book of Mormon class, of all places. King Benjamin says that Lehi was able to read the brass plates because "he [had] been taught in the language of the Egyptians (Mosiah 1:4)". I had never realized that the brass plates as well as the golden were written in Egyptian characters - this changed a lot of my perspective on them, somehow. Moroni says that Egyptian allowed them to write more in limited space than Hebrew would have, and indicates that he would have felt much more comfortable writing in Hebrew (Mormon 9:33). That explains to me why Egyptian was used for both records, but it also brings up the question of how the general population was able to use scriptures recorded in that form?

Mosiah 1:2 suggests that Benjamin taught his sons Egyptian as well (the "language of his fathers", contrast with 1 Nephi 1:2) and seems to imply that this was not a universal teaching. In fact, we suggested in our book of Mormon class that very few were able to read or write this language - perhaps only those of prophetic or royal descent, until the time of the reign of the judges. Certainly the common people would have been happier with Hebrew, which had many fewer characters (and simpler ones) than heiroglyphic Egyptian. But does that mean they knew less about the scriptures?

I'm curious what ya'll think about that question, but my opinion is that they had adequate access through less permanent mediums, such as papyrus or parchment, on which there was enough room to use Hebrew. In fact, I'm almost certain this is true, since it makes little sense that writing would allow the Lamanites to increase in productivity as a nation unless it was in a fairly commonplace form such as parchment. Stones are great, but not as easy to use.

So how does this relate to us? I think it shows how important it is to be able to learn from as many sources as we can. No doubt those who were schooled in Egyptian had more direct access to some records in the Nephites' times. So I think the lesson is to always try to learn for yourself, like we're being taught to do in this class. That way you can get as much out of things as possible, without blindly trusting instructors or authorities.

The History of Writing: An Overview

"Letters are the marks of words, as words themselves are the marks of thoughts." -Aristotle
 
Last week I found a book on the library's system that looked like it would be a great resource. The problem was...it was in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections. So on Saturday, I made my way down there and was able to read part of the book The History of Writing, part of the collection of Victorian books. It was amazing to be able to handle a book from the mid 1800s. The cover was decorated in what seemed to be iron on top of painted paper, which was pretty beautiful. As I was reading it, I felt like I wanted to drink of the knowledge from it more deeply because it was a precious book.

The Book of Mormon and Writing

So, though it's not my day to blog, I attended part of the Sidney B. Sperry Symposium last night, and learned some interesting things I wanted to share here.

The symposium was based on speaking about "approaches to Lehi's Dream and Nephi's vision" of the Tree of Life.

Normally, I wouldn't have expected to find much related to written knowledge in an entirely oral symposium. However, the second speaker I listened to, Matthew L. Bowen, pointed out some very interesting things about the Book of Mormon that led me in the right direction.

The Book of Mormon, itself so key to our understanding of the gospel, shows within its pages why written knowledge is so important to a nation. As early as 1 Nephi 4:13, the Spirit implies to Nephi that his people will "dwindle and perish in unbelief" without the brass plates, their scriptural record.

(Okay, so that picture had nothing really to do with it. But it's funny. I'm fairly certain that the brass plates were not hidden in a maze, however...)

This insistence on retaining a scriptural record, even to the point where Nephi is commanded by the Spirit to kill Laban in order to obtain it, shows how vital writing is to the maintenance of the gospel's truths. Indeed, once the Lamanites split from the Nephites, they did "dwindle in unbelief", largely because of Laman and Lemuel's rebellion, of course, but also due to their lack of any sacred records. In fact, they didn't even know HOW to write anymore after a few generations of "idleness."

The people of Mulek had the same problem - they didn't bring any records at all, and by the time the Nephites found them, their language had been "corrupted" and they had lost their knowledge of the ways of the gospel, even to the point of "deny[ing] the being of their Creator", which to me sounds like having either no religion at all or a kind of spiritualism like some more tribal societies (Omni 1:17).

Not only is writing crucial to religion, but the Book of Mormon also shows that it is central to the very civilization of a society. The Lamanites, having lost their writing, were for years a people who were "full of idleness" (1 Nephi 12:23). However, once Amulon and the wicked priests (my roommate says that sounds like a rock band, btw) had integrated themselves among the Lamanites, they "taught them that they should keep their record, and that they might write one to another". This teaching was a very useful thing to their civilization, despite the utter wickedness of the source, and the Lamanites began to "increase in riches", and "to trade one with another and wax great," and they became "a wise people, as to the wisdom of the world,"(Mosiah 24:4-7).

This to me shows how important writing is to a people. In fact, it seems to be only after they learn to write that the Lamanites are able to advance as a society and begin to have their own culture and learning.

So how does this apply to us today? I believe it's a reminder not to take for granted the incredible wealth of written and recorded knowledge that we have, because it may be all that keeps us in the faith in the long term. How many new Christian churches have been started in the past two hundred years? Probably too many to count. How many Christian Churches have been restored with written proof of their validity, translated by the power of God through His Prophet on the Earth today?

Just one. The true Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

That, I think, should tell us more than anything else about the power of the written word, and especially the written Word. God will not send us into the world without guidance. We have the teachings of the prophets always with us. The Book of Mormon is proof that God does love His children, and that He will help us in the way that's best for our needs, whether we realize it or not. He did not restore His Church through the mighty speech of a great orator; that would have gained a swift following, perhaps, but the significance and impact would fade as time went on. He restored His Church instead through the humility of a young man who had enough faith to do whatever the Lord asked of him, and was therefore able to bring us many more of the written Words of God, so that the gospel would never again be lost from the Earth.

To finish up, here's an irony for you: After Alma the Younger's miraculous angelic visitation, he and his friends, the sons of Mosiah, became very valiant missionaries. Ammon in particular was an incredible influence for good because of his steady faith and sure example. And how did he teach the Lamanites of Lamoni's kingdom?

"He laid before him the records and the holy scriptures of the people." (Alma 18:36)

And who taught the Lamanites to read and write, so that they could remember these things once they were taught them, which they accomplished even to the point that those who believed "never did fall away?" (Alma 23:6)

That was Amulon, an incredibly evil man who consistently persecuted all the believers under his power.

Romans 8:28:

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Universitas: Oriental Style

In class we talked about universitas and how they played a part in the development of education in ancient Europe. I looked at a similar transformation in education in ancient China. Surprisingly, there were some similarities between the two. I am willing to bet, based on what I found, that many other civilizations underwent similar transformations.

If we recall from Dr. Peterson’s lecture, there are three characteristics of universitas that make them unique:

1. 1. The first were founded spontaneously, not formally as we see today

2. 2. Urban phenomena

3. 3. The first universities didn’t have campuses. Universitas referred to a group of people, teachers, etc…not mortar, buildings, and libraries.

Although not identical, shu yuan represents the same idea of taking responsibility for education and knowledge. Like universitas, shu yuans had students from all over the country. A difference that exists between them though is the end goal in mind. Universitas were established to further professional education and to offer training in four major fields: theology, law, medicine, philosophy; they “emerged to meet the overwhelming need to provide for the training of lawyers, schoolmasters and clerics to fill the ranks of the increasingly sophisticated administrations of both church and state.” Shu yuans, however, were aimed at “the moral transformation of oneself without regard to any practical concern”. Both look to serve a higher purpose in human development, but they take different approaches. What approaches have you seen in different civilizations to learning?

Relating this to my life, I feel that I have experienced a little bit of the shu yuan and a little bit of the universita in my life. At BYU, I am receiving my universita education: math 113, civ 201, psych 211, etc. I am learning, with students from all over the world, about core topics that will provide me with a basis to receive a professional job. My mission, on the other hand, provided me with my shu yuan education. I experienced a greater moral transformation and gained more spiritual knowledge in those two years than I will at any other point in my life. I have found that different institutions are created for different educational purposes and often times we get experience in many different ones. What examples of different types of education have you seen in your lives that have come from different institutions?

Learning to Write

I am so excited for our Japanese character learning session with Andrew! Thinking about this chance to learn a whole new system of writing has given me the chance to reflect on how it is that
we really learn to write.

Japanese Calligraphy and Writing Systems!

In preparation for our Japanese calligraphy session this weekend, ( And yes, I am so EXCITED!) I thought it would be a good idea to post about the origins of calligraphy in Japan and how it translated in to the current writing system that they have today! This way when you are learning all the crazy characters and stroke orders on Saturday, you will know not only what they mean, but where they came from and how they are used today to communicate written knowledge!

Hobo Symbols

As I was reading Sam's recent post on the Proto-Sinaitic language, I was reminded of a group of people that used symbols in the modern day that meant specific words to inform others of what lay ahead. Who am I talking about? The hobos of the Great Depression! I remember reading about the hobo symbols in my American history class a few years back and thought it was hugely interesting. So, my comment is now turned into a short post. 

The hobos used symbols such as the ones below to help them know where they could find help and food during their hard times. Not only this, but they could also communicate things such as dangerous drinking water or that a town was not good for strangers because there had been a crime. A better list of symbols can be found here. Click it, it's fun! I just always thought it would be funny for someone to walk outside of their house and find a sign that meant they were ill-tempered or a sucker.

The Source

So to start, thanks, Jenna, for giving me the jump-off point for this post! It was while I was researching the Mayan language that I discovered all this information.

Once upon a time, about 1900 BC in fact, the first known consonantal alphabet was in usage.

It was called Proto-Sinaitic Script.

One example of genuine Proto-Sinaitic

This alphabet coexisted with Egyptian, and in fact took its symbols from the Egyptian hieroglyphs. This was either due to an Egyptian conquest of Sinai, or a more friendly spread of literacy through shared trade and workers, though it is uncertain which one (or both) was more influential (source). Oddly, though Egypt had a phonetic alphabet, as I mentioned in this post, the Proto-Sinaitic Script didn't make use of these symbols to represent the sounds of their own language. Instead, seemingly at random, they chose signs from the hieroglyphs and assigned them values.

This newly formed alphabet pre-dated even Phoenician, which came into being about 1100 BC. However, the two are very closely connected. In fact, Proto-Sinaitic is the Alphabetic "grandfather" of most alphabets that are still used in our modern world! (Source)

Look at this chart I found, showing the evolution of the alphabet over many years from Proto-Sinaitic to Greek:

I dunno about you guys, but I think this is unbelievably cool. This finally gives a purpose to all the random lines, curves and shapes that make up our alphabet - coming from the original Egyptian, they once had an intrinsic meaning! It was simply lost over time.

My favorite was the example for the letter M:

Water. It clearly begins as a series of wavy lines, to illustrate water, and then changes with time: the symbols came to be more simply represented, in order to make them easier to write or carve.

This made my life make more sense; now we can know a little better why on earth it is that we use seemingly random shapes to represent certain sounds.

Of course, English isn't very consistent with the whole "spell it like it's said" idea.

But then, that's a part of what makes it so awesome.

(If you're really interested in random facts about Egyptian written language in particular, view this website page. It has a lot of great information on other writing systems as well.)

Click here to travel forward in time to my next post, which isn't even written yet!

(Here)

From Calendars to Writing: The Mayans

What? I'm writing a post that includes the words calendars and Mayans? Must be talking about 2012. While that is a very interesting topic, and there is a great article relating the flaws in the prediction of the end of the world next year, this is not what I am here to talk about today. Sorry to crush your hopes of an exciting post as if I had hit them with a meteor.