Text 1
Many archaeologists have traditionally viewed the clay envelopes (bullae) found in ancient Mesopotamian ruins as secure containers designed solely to prevent the tampering of token-based receipts during long-distance trade. By enclosing clay tokens—which represented commodity quantities—inside a sealed envelope, merchants could guarantee that the cargo's contents matched the record. According to this view, the bullae were purely practical administrative tools that served as a safeguard against merchant dishonesty, functioning as a precursor to modern bills of lading.
Text 2
While bullae certainly protected the tokens within, archaeologist Denise Schmandt-Besserat and others suggest that the evolution of these envelopes reflects a critical cognitive shift in human history rather than just a commercial security measure. As administrators began pressing the tokens into the wet clay exterior of the envelope before sealing them inside, they created a redundant record. This practice of representing three-dimensional tokens with two-dimensional impressions eventually made the enclosed tokens obsolete, directly catalyzing the invention of cuneiform writing. Thus, the primary significance of bullae lies not in their defensive utility in trade, but in their role as the conceptual bridge to true writing systems.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely characterize the view of the archaeologists described in Text 1?
- As an incomplete account that overlooks the role of the envelopes in the transition to written communication.Cevap
- BAs a fundamentally incorrect theory that misinterprets the primary commercial function of the clay envelopes.
- CAs a speculative hypothesis that lacks physical evidence of token-based trade practices.
- DAs a correct analysis that explains why two-dimensional impressions were eventually preferred over clay tokens.