Instructional Video4:13
Curated Video

Cuneiform

3rd - 8th
A video entitled "Cuneiform" introduces students to the history, evolution, methods for writing, and the lasting influence of Sumerian cuneiform.
Instructional Video2:50
NativLang

Cuneiform Hand-Me-Downs - how Sumerian outlived its speakers

9th - 11th
My favorite example of how odd Cuneiform became as it was passed from civilization to civilization. Thanks, rampant Sumerianization! Cuneiform languages took Sumerian very seriously, even after it was long dead. That’s how Akkadian and...
Instructional Video47:25
NativLang

Thoth's Pill - an Animated History of Writing

9th - 11th
My animation takes you through the birth and evolution of writing. Watch the story of the world's scripts unfold, from the early cave days to modern writing systems. But only if you choose to take Thoth's Pill... This animated...
Instructional Video4:59
Curated Video

What is Cuneiform? Sumerians & Mesopotamia

K - 5th
Discover the fascinating world of cuneiform, one of the earliest writing systems in human history. Developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia over 5,000 years ago, cuneiform was used to record laws, trade, literature, and more....
Instructional Video4:43
NativLang

Pronouncing pictures! - History of Writing Systems #4 (Rebus writing)

9th - 11th
Watch ancient Sumerians figure out how to use pictures to write sounds for the first time in history. See why the Egyptians disagree with their approach. Meaning writing (logographs) let early writers get civilized and document their...
Instructional Video7:09
Extra Credits

The History of Writing - Where the Story Begins - Extra History

9th - 11th
How did the ancient civilization of Sumer first develop the concept of the written word? It all began with simple warehouse tallies in the temples, but as the scribes sought more simple ways to record information, those tallies gradually...
Instructional Video4:55
TED-Ed

Who Was the World's First Author?

6th - 12th
Believe it or not, the world's first author was a woman! A short, illustrated video tells the story of Enheduanna, a Sumerian princess, priestess, and poet who is credited as being the first author. 
Instructional Video3:52
TED-Ed

Who Invented Writing?

7th - 12th Standards
Cuneiforms and characters, hieroglyphics and cartouches, Morse code and Pig Latin. Who invented writing? Why, the Sumerians and the Chinese, of course. Viewers watch as the video narrator details the development of writing from art,...