I've been collecting interesting examples of information organisation in history, focusing on non-Western civilisations. I came across this example of an ancient Mesopotamian spreadsheet! It records wages paid to temple workers in 1295 BCE.
#History #AncientHistory #Cuneiform #Mesopotamia #CognitiveHistory
@michelleful
One way to find people is to follow hashtags. I don't know if it works in mobile apps. But setting the web browser view of a Mastodon to "advanced view" gives you a multi-column layout where you can add/pin more columns, for example for hashtags followed.
Once you pinned 1 followed # you can add more # to the pinned column and tell the system to collect all of them, and also to exclude others.
Eg., you'd follow #language but exclude #school so as to not get any posts that discuss language as a school subject.
Fascinating area. I've been thinking about initiatives to decolonize archive/collections records (metadata). Specifically the insertion of contemporary indigenous terminology i.e. literal translations w/out broader cultural context and meaning (present or past). I can see how it becomes a very complex and difficult task, very quickly but I feel (data & info science background) much of this is due to trying to fit - physically and conceptually - into unsympathetic DB structures.
@benmschmidt I unhelpfully tucked the citation in the alt-text. Here it is:
Robson, E. (2003). Tables and tabular formatting in Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria, 2500 BCE-50 CE. In Campbell-Kelly, M. et al (eds.) The history of mathematical tables: From Sumer to spreadsheets, OUP. 19-47
They did have sub-totals and totals but not in both directions in this example, if I'm understanding this right. Also, the table continues on the other side of the tablet.
The oldest known mathematical table was found in the ancient Sumerian city of Shuruppag in southern Iraq. Since then, tables have been an important feature of mathematical activity; table making and printed tabular matter are important precursors to modern computing and information processing. This book contains a series of articles summarising the technical, institutional and intellectual history of mathematical tables from earliest times until the late twentieth century. It covers mathematical tables (the most important computing aid for several hundred years until the 1960s), data tables (eg. Census tables), professional tables (eg. insurance tables), and spreadsheets - the most recent tabular innovation. The book is presented in a scholarly yet accessible way, making appropriate use of text boxes and illustrations. Each chapter has a frontispiece featuring a table along with a small illustration of the source where the table was first displayed. Most chapters have sidebars telling a short "story" or history relating to the chapter. The aim of this edited volume is to capture the history of tables through eleven chapters written by subject specialists. The contributors describe the various information processing techniques and artefacts whose unifying concept is "the mathematical table".
@benmschmidt Oh very cool, what class was it for, and are the slides or handouts available anywhere?
I hadn't actually seen the Bedolina map before, it is gorgeous and fascinating! Maps and diagrams are two of the "technologies" on my radar for researching but I'm not sure how to draw the line between a pictorial representation and a more abstract diagram.
@michelleful @yuki2501 Actually, is this from a time when cunieform included ideographs, or from a time when it was standardized as a phonetic writing system?
Apparently both existed throughout history, and without understanding the writing it is hard to tell.
Attached: 2 images I've been collecting interesting examples of information organisation in history, focusing on non-Western civilisations. I came across this example of an ancient Mesopotamian spreadsheet! It records wages paid to temple workers in 1295 BCE. #History #AncientHistory #Cuneiform #Mesopotamia #CognitiveHistory
wow, looks almost like notation, amazing, thanks for sharing
That is fantastic. In fact, Excel.lent.
WATCH AD-FREE:https://www.patreon.com/fallofcivilizations_podcastIn the dusts of Iraq, the ruins of the world's first civilization lie buried. This episode, ...
Attached: 1 image @[email protected] I unhelpfully tucked the citation in the alt-text. Here it is: Robson, E. (2003). Tables and tabular formatting in Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria, 2500 BCE-50 CE. In Campbell-Kelly, M. et al (eds.) The history of mathematical tables: From Sumer to spreadsheets, OUP. 19-47 Direct link: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ihRREAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA19&dq=organization+of+the+babylonian+archives&ots=fOlLoQVz86&sig=7hjiZeIzLeQj51rp9Yr7CZ9X5jI#v=onepage&q=organization%20of%20the%20babylonian%20archives&f=false They did have sub-totals and totals but not in both directions in this example, if I'm understanding this right. Also, the table continues on the other side of the tablet.
@michelleful
Slap that in Excel and it would say G10 is "March 3rd."
:p
@michelleful The information density of CJK ideographs is considered the main reason for popularity of SMS messages in Japan.
The interaction of message delivery and information recording techniques throughout history might be another interesting topic.
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