The First Writing Systems: Marks That Changed the World

课文

1. Around 3400 BCE, people in ancient Sumer developed cuneiform — wedge-shaped marks pressed into clay tablets.

   约公元前3400年，古代苏美尔人发明了楔形文字——用楔形刻痕压印在泥板上。

2. These early symbols began as simple pictures but slowly became signs for sounds and abstract ideas.

   这些早期符号起初是简单的图画，后逐渐演变为表音和表抽象概念的符号。

3. Scribes used reed styluses to make impressions, and dried or baked tablets preserved records for thousands of years.

   书吏用芦苇笔在泥板上刻写，晾干或烧制后的泥板使记录得以保存数千年。

4. Writing helped governments collect taxes, track trade, and record laws like the Code of Ur-Nammu.

   文字帮助政府征税、追踪贸易，并记录《乌尔纳姆法典》等法律。

5. Egyptians created hieroglyphs around the same time, often carved on temple walls or written on papyrus.

   埃及人几乎在同一时期创造了象形文字，常刻于神庙墙壁或书写在纸莎草纸上。

6. Unlike oral stories, written texts could be copied, checked, and studied across generations without distortion.

   与口头传说不同，书面文本可被抄录、核查，并代代相传而不失真。

7. Scholars still decode new tablets today, revealing details about daily life, religion, and diplomacy.

   学者至今仍在破译新发现的泥板，揭示当时日常生活、宗教与外交的细节。

8. This invention did not spread quickly, but it laid the foundation for education, history, and science.

   这项发明传播缓慢，却为教育、历史与科学奠定了基础。