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Article: Cuneiform--the world's first writing.(mesopotamian writing)
- Article from:
- Appleseeds
- Article date:
- October 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Today, we know a lot about life in ancient Mesopotamia. But how do we know? Where did all our information come from? Much of what we know comes from reading what Mesopotamians wrote thousands of years ago.
The Mesopotamians were the first people in history to create a written language. To keep track of trade deals, Mesopotamians started drawing pictures, or pictographs, of what they had traded. They made the drawings on small stones or balls of clay. If someone traded three cows, for example, he drew three small cow heads on a piece of clay. As time passed, people realized they could draw one picture for the thing that was traded--cows, in this case--and another ...