Written Script Certainly, one of the most important developments of mankind has been writing.
But what factors spurred the development of written scripts? According to Pollard, Rosenberg
and Tignor, Mesopotamia was the birth place of the first writing system. Many
Sumerians were farmers and had become quite good at agriculture. With the communities
growing they had to produce and store more food. The Farmers started to mark clay
tokens with symbols to help identify what was in storage. This kind of markings are called
pictograms.
As the population kept growing. It was beginning to become too difficult for the
officials to remember what was being stored, Temple officials began to use this process as
well. With a little time, they realized if
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Scribes invented a wedge shaped writing
Archaeologists named "cuneiform," from the Latin "cuneus," meaning wedge.
Scribes became a very important position ranking very high on the social ladder, just under the
king. After the development of writing literacy became an important part of Sumerian culture but
mostly reserved for the rich or Royal blood. This separation helped shape Mesopotamia’s social
structure. The development on Cuneiform writing helped Sumerian improve on trading goods
and services, control property and to record thoughts and ideas. Most of what we understand
about the Sumerian culture today is by deciphering cuneiform writing. Scribes were able to
create narratives about their cultural history and their economic structure. They could record the
kings list, a document that recounted the kings by city and dynasties. They were also able to
create a biblical narrative. Which for the Sumerians explained about their gods (Uruk) demise by
the great flood. Future people could read about the great flood and be reminded (controlled) to
remember and appease the gods. These narrative really helped shape