Tristan Hughes

Of all materials, why do they use clay?

Mark my words.

So hundreds of thousands of years from now, people will learn about humans from the clay tablets.

From that.

That's it.

And I must also mention the styluses as well they made from reeds, local reeds?

And this is, just so we get our times right, for the earliest signs, do we think at the moment about early 4th millennium BC?

I think so.

And so why do we think that around that time, this early writing script, I can see something that's called protoconair form, why we think it emerges?

So for plagues, crusades and Viking raids and plenty of other things that don't rhyme, subscribe to Gone Medieval from History Hit wherever you get your podcasts.

I tell you what, we're going to see if I can use the iPad here and get some images up for you, which you could talk through if you're up for it, Irving.

I am.

Hey, look, we're trying new things here.

But I have one particular tablet up here.

Yes.

Now, do you recognise this tablet?

And what I also love, Owen, we have this image.

This feels like a pictogram, what it's showing here.

It looks like a jar.

It is a jar.