Writing is described as the capacity for human beings to preserve and transmit data by inscribing symbols on rock, clay, skins, or parchment. The earliest such written records have been recovered from Mesopotamia and date to approximately 3500 BCE. As the complexity of civilization increased and peoples' need for keeping records increased so did the transmission of writing spread aiding the advancement of society.

The cuneiform script used by the Sumerians is the first known language that used the same picture and sounds for different meanings. What started out as pictures representing numbers and goods in business transactions eventually became "stylized pictures" pressed with a stylus into wet clay that made wedged shaped impressions. The word "cuneiform" is derived from the Latin word cuneus, or wedge.

Pictograph writing uses pictures to denote an object or concept. The combination of such pictures was use to make a phrase or larger idea. "Rebus writing" developed when a picture depicted another word using the same sound. "Logo-syllabic writing" matured next as the pictures and eventually symbols stood for an individual sound. With this evolution in communication the real beginning of writing is witnessed.

The Sumerians later developed a school for scribes where students would learn how to write various documents. Such schools emphasized everything from grammar to verbs so that trained scribes could fill important positions in temples, courts, and commerce where records and documentation was in high demand.

By approximately 3000 BCE the Egyptians had also developed a system of writing known as the hieroglyphs, or "sacred picture writing." This method of recording information was mostly used on public structures. Like the cuneiform, hieroglyphs were used for words, ideas, and even sounds. It was not until 1822 that this Egyptian language was first decoded by Champollion.

They Egyptians also used a more common, cursive script called hieratic, which was practiced in everyday life for recording inventories, transactions, lists, etc. this variation of the hieroglyphs was written on stone or papyrus with ink and brush. Eventually, this is the language that would evolve into Coptic.

Other Internet Resources

• The Akkadian language
• Learn Assyrian On-Line
• Cuneiform Inscription
• Cuneiform - Ancient Texts Relating to the Bible
• Cuneiform - Mesopotamian Glossary

• Brown, Brown M., ed. Sumer: Cities of Eden, Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1993.
• Butler, Trent C., ed. Holman Bible Dictionary, Nashville, Tennessee: Holman Bible Publishers, 1991.
• Esler, Anthony, The Human Venture, 3rd ed., New York, NY: Prentice Hall.