PICTOGRAPHIC WRITING: ORIGIN, CHARACTERISTICS AND EXAMPLES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The pictographic writing is a form of communication in which drawings are used to convey ideas. Pictograms are used as symbols to represent concepts, objects, activities, or events through pictures. This writing is characterized by having a simple style, omitting unnecessary details for communication.

Other written languages ​​such as cuneiform or hieroglyphics were based on this type of writing. Although the pictography dates back to the Neolithic, its importance is still valid today. It is a language that allows, regardless of the language, people can understand each other easily.

Stone of the Sumerian civilization showing the use of pictographic writing. Source: Prof. Charles F. Horne, via Wikimedia Commons.

The first expression of the pictograms occurred with the writing on stones. Each element or drawing was translated into a complete idea. Also, each sign drawn had an iconic end, in which it was meant what was drawn and not something else; for example, a cow was a cow and not a God.

In some cases, pictographic writing is considered not to be true writing because it only reflects the content of the message and does not record the message itself.

The word pictography has as its origin the union of pinctus, which in Latin means "painted" and from the Greek spelling, which refers to the quality of writing.

Origin

People have been using symbols to write for more than 30 thousand years. It all started with rock art. There was also proto-writing, which consisted of scratching bones or using knots in ropes to keep accounts or make numbers. However, the process culminated when what we know today as writing appeared.

In the case of pictographic writing, it is in Mesopotamia where it was used for the first time, to later give way to the Sumerian cuneiform systems. Pictography evolved over time and was used on coins, agricultural product labels, and later became a more complex written language. Scholars claim that all phonetic writing systems were based on the use of pictograms.

At first the marks or images were made with Roman feathers, also known as stilettos. The impressions that were made were wedge-shaped. In the middle of the year 2900 BC, many pictographs began to lose their original function. A symbol could have various meanings depending on the context in which it was found.

Egyptian culture, the Chinese, and the Indians of Mesoamerica also had their pictographic writing systems. In the case of the Chinese, they developed logographic systems.

In general, the history of writing is usually divided into three different stages: pictographic writing, ideograms and phonograms.

characteristics

Pictographic writing is mainly characterized by being a form of writing in which everything is represented by drawings. These drawings were made at first on stones or trees, but later they were used on other surfaces such as clay tablets, animal skins or paper.

The most important characteristic of pictographic writing is that it is universal. Regardless of the language of the different populations or societies, the meaning of the drawings is easy to understand, as it is not based on phonetics or linguistic norms. Furthermore, the objects that the pictograms are intended to represent are concrete.

The images or drawings that are made have a communicational purpose and details that are not relevant are omitted. It differs very clearly from phonetic writing because the symbols represent objects or ideas, while in phonetics, the symbols represent sounds.

Pictograms can be divided into two types. When pictograms represent a single idea or meaning, they are called ideograms. Those that represent a word are called logograms.

When the pictograms are painted on rocks they are also called a petrogram, also known as rock art. Being carved into the rocks, they are also called petroglyphs. When the drawing is on the ground, we speak of a geoglyph, being the Nazca lines, in Peru, the most famous geoglyphs.

Examples of cultures with pictographic writing

In our culture

There are several cultures or civilizations that used pictographic writing. Even today the use of symbols to represent elements or give instructions is still in force. Specifically, we can observe this to indicate public toilets, or to indicate places such as train stations, bus stations or airports.

In technology there are also features of pictographic writing. "Icons" is the name given to pictograms on computers; and there are also emoticons, which serve to convey content on an emotional level.

Ancestral cultures

In ancient times, pictographic writing was used in Mesopotamia, as well as by cultures such as the Aztecs or the Mayans. The Egyptians, for their part, created their hieroglyphic system from the ideas of pictography.

In Mesopotamia the pictures used in pictography could be objects, animals or people. The stone was scarce to make inscriptions, so clay began to be used. As it was difficult to draw on clay, sharp objects were used to record ideas.

The writing at this stage is closely linked to the temples, since the priests were the ones who directed the scribes. Around 2800 BC the writing began from left to right and in horizontal rows from top to bottom.

In America, the Mayan civilization was the first people on the American continent to develop pictographic writing. They used animal skins, paper, or clay objects to write. They used logograms, and many have been difficult to translate. Due to the Spanish conquest, many writings were destroyed.

The Aztecs also used pictographic writing, especially to record religious and historical events that were taking place in civilization. Like the Mayans, they used mainly the skin of animals or paper to capture their writings.

The pictography of the Aztecs is known as "Mexican codices." They are different from European codices precisely because of the great use of drawings or illustrations.

Currently, the most important pictographic systems are those used in China, Japan and Korea. In the rest of the countries, all forms of writing are phonetic.

References

1. García Jurado, R. The origin of the alphabet. Recovered from revistadelauniversidad.mx
2. Pictogram. (2019) New World Encyclopedia. Recovered from newworldencyclopedia.org
3. from insPictograph Art. Recovered from arthistory.net
4. Pictography. Recovered from britannica.com
5. Wheeler, K. Early Writing: The Pictograph, Logograph, Syllabary, and Alphabet. Recovered from web.cn.edu