Cuneiform Scribes in Mesopotamia Have an Obligation

Cuneiform

Scribes in Mesopotamia have an obligation to record essential facts, to leave in writing a legacy by which posterity will remember and respect the culture. The political organization, economic and trade system, rules, laws, foreign relations and social codes would all make for interesting reading centuries or millennia into the future. Additionally, scribes should record key aspects of our social lives: including the demographics of our civilization as well as gender roles and relations. Scribes should make sure to describe a typical day in the life of different members of the society. For example, a typical day of a peasant farmer should be recorded alongside that of a religious priest. Mundane details such as food and eating habits should be recorded too. This way, future archaeologists will have a clear idea of what life was like in Mesopotamia instead of having to made guesses. Religious beliefs, practices, and rituals should also be outlined clearly, as should cosmology. Finally, the scribes must also offer information about their lives and their jobs so that the credibility of the authors can be established. Details about the nature, history, and structure of our civilization are the most important details that Cuneiform scribes should record.

Politics, history, and foreign relations are among the most significant details of a civilization. Therefore, scribes and historians should take care to preserve these ideas in as unbiased a manner as possible. It is the duty of scribes to not record only the point-of-view of the priests or of the kings. Rather, the scribes should take into account the oral history and points-of-view of the common people. Scribes should take note of the political and social hierarchies in the civilization: which people are in power and which are not. Any important laws or customs should also be recorded for posterity. Gender roles and gender relations are important aspects of any society and should therefore be described in as much detail as possible. The society's history: wars with other cultures, worldviews, self-image, and foreign policies are also important facts to take down.

However, the specific details of daily life are just as significant as the broad generalizations about a civilization. A typical day in the life of a common person such as a peasant or even a scribe should be recorded. The scribe should include as much detail as possible, not taking for granted that people in the future will know the name or nature of each tool, utensil, food, or herb. Eating habits, bathing habits, sleeping habits, and work habits should all be described objectively. The typical day in the life of a nobleman, priest, or king should also be recorded.

Because religion is central to every society, scribes should definitely write with as much detail as possible the nature of Mesopotamian religious beliefs, rituals, and practices. Cosmology and creation stories should be recounted, as should the perception of deities and their relationship with human beings. Concepts of the forces of nature, of the supernatural, and of mythology are all essential facts that scribes should record. Scribes should take care to not just record the story of a myth but also illustrate how the myth is perceived by members of the culture: whether people view the tale as symbolic or real. Historians should also note when rituals and religious holidays take place, how the rites are performed, and who attends them.