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Origins of Writing

Ancient civilizations attributed the origins of writing to the gods. For the ancient Egyptians, their

god Thoth was the creator of writing and, in some stories, also the creator of speech. The ancient

Sumerians and Assyrians also believed that writing originated with certain gods, as did the ancient

Maya. In Chinese mythology, the creation of writing is attributed to an ancient sage and was used for

communication with the gods. Clearly, writing was highly valued even by ancient peoples.

Humans began painting pictures on cave walls 25,000 years ago or more, but writing systems

did not develop until groups of people began settling in farming communities. Scholars say that writing

systems developed independently in at least three different parts of the world: Mesopotamia, China,

and Mesoamerica.

The oldest known writing system developed among the ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia

around 3000 B.C. Along with the rise of agricultural societies carne the development of property

ownership and the need to keep records of it. In early agricultural societies, property consisted largely

of land, livestock such as cattle, and grain. Originally, clay tokens of various shapes were used to count

these possessions. From this developed a system of impressing the shapes onto clay tablets. One of the earliest clay tablets of this type was found in excavations in Mesopotamia and dates from the time of

the Sumerian culture. Scribes then began using reeds instead of tokens to mark the clay, developing a

system of wedgelike shapes to represent the tokens. This system of writing using wedge shapes is

known as cuneiform. It was later adopted by other cultures and became the basis for other writing

systems. Originating in a system that used pictures to represent objects, cuneiform writing eventually

developed into systems that used symbols to represent the sounds of language.

The oldest form of Chinese writing dates from around 1500 B.C... It is called oracle bone script

because it was carved on animal bones and shells that were used for predicting the future. At a later

period, Chinese writing appeared on bronze vases and later still developed into a system that was used

to record government affairs. The Chinese writing system was also the original basis for both the

Japanese and Korean writing systems.

In Mesoamerica, a region that encompasses parts of Mexico and Central America, it is the ancient

Mayans who are famous for the writing they inscribed on temple walls and other religious structures.

However, scholars believe that writing in that part of the world may have begun before the rise of the

Mayan civilization. The Zapotec culture, centered on Oaxaca, Mexico, was already using writing around

400 B.C., or possibly earlier. The Olmec culture may have developed a writing system even earlier than

that. Recent discoveries show that the Mayans may have begun writing around 2,300 years ago. They

used a system of symbols that represented words and syllables to record information about the deeds

of their rulers as well as information connected to their calendar and astronomy. Their system of

writing survived until the time of the Spanish Conquest in the 1500s.

In ancient times, only specialized people such as scholars, priests, or government officials used

writing. Today, close to three-quarters of the world's adult population can read and write, and literacy

is considered a basic skill necessary to function in the modern world

Origins of Writing

Thesis Statement: ____________________________________________________________________________________________

I. Ancient Sumerian in Mesopotamia

A. Recording of property ownership

1. Clay tokens

2. _______________________________

3. ______________________________

4. _______________________________

II. Oldest form of Chinese writing

A. _______________________________________

1. Used for predicting the future

B. _______________________________________

1. Basis for Japanese and Korean writing systems

III. Writing systems in Mesoamerica

A. _______________________________________

1. Temple walls and religious structure inscriptions

2. Used a system of symbols

B. Zapotec Culture

1. Writing around 400 B.C.

C. ______________________________________

1. Developed earlier a writing system

Answer 1

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