Invention of Writing in Ancient World

History has much to say and deliberate about language, signs, sounds, symbols and communication. All of these important forms of expressions or translations shared a common denominator which path the way to different forms of writings. As we have learned in the article “The origins of teaching writing systems”, writing is “a form of human communication in which a set of visible marks are related, by convention, to some particular structural level of language.” There is much debate about which came first, language or writing, but we are certain that they are interconnected. In the following dissertation I will be commenting on, why was the invention of writing so crucial to the establishment of the world’s great ancient civilizations?

Writing, like all other elements and characteristics of culture, has undergone evolutionary changes and can be an important indicator about the history of the peoples, origins, literacy, and civilizations that make up the ancient and modern world. Even though there is much debate on who claims to be the owners of the most ancient forms of writing (Egyptian or Sumerian), we have one clear picture and that is that writing represented a form of communication in an advanced and developed society. When studying the origins of writing we learn that writing was a means of recording inventory, demonstrating worth, monetary exchange, recording history, and a clear picture of developed economy in each civilization. From the “cuneiforms” forms of writing to “glyphs” found in the Mayan communities we learned that writing had a common symbolic and syllabify expression.

Due to the importance of the articulation of sounds writing could have been a customary practice which unified or exemplified a common language. This is significant in history, because having a common language could have meant that there was an established form of literacy (education) in these societies. Even though writing evolved and each culture may have borrowed from each other’s writings, these new recorded markings could be evidence that these ancient civilizations once commenced or commerced with each other. We see this interrelation even in the study of the phylogeny of mankind.

From pictures, to symbols, and sounds we see a unique development of these civilizations. Writing also played a unique role in unlocking the way for the noble profession of being a “scribe”. With an established language and possibly developed forms of education the peoples of these societies were inspired to develop their literacy and become professionals or noblemen. This new opportunity advocated the justification of the elite (hierarchy) rule over the commoners. This could have given rise to new forms of government and class status. Like in all “developed” civilizations those individuals who could prove their ability to communicate and write had a chance of a prosperous and stable future.

Today we may take writing for granted, but writing has always been a symbol of our ability to communicate and develop. Like all “modern” civilizations and the development of technology, history has proven that there has always been a new skill or ability that catapulted us to a greater knowledge or bright future. We find that from the paintings on walls found thirty thousand (30,000) years ago to the “tokens” of Samaria dated 4100-3800 B.C., writing had become the new form of technology which welcomed the advancement of the ancient world.