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Period: 8000 BCE to 3000 BCE
Before the First
Tokens were used in early Mesopotamia to represent goods used in trade. Their uses were minimal, only being used in trade. They inspired the first writing system. -
5000 BCE
Before the First
These are what the tokens looked like. -
3500 BCE
The Birth of Pictograms
In Elam (modern Iran), accountants started to impress the tokens on the surface of clay envelopes. This allowed the accountants to know how many tokens were in the envelope without cracking it open. -
3100 BCE
From Labeling to Documenting
The clay envelopes evolved into solid clay tablets to record quantities of goods received and disbursed. -
3000 BCE
The Beginning of Phonetic Writing
With the creation of phonetic writing, communication expanded beyond just trade. Names and narratives were soon inscribed on clay tablets. -
2600 BCE
The Start of Everlasting Stories
This was when the first documented story was written. It was entirely phonetic and had the names of the deceased written on it. They thought that by doing this they could ensure the deceased immortal life. -
2500 BCE
The Sumerian Script
The Sumerian script became an intricate network of ideograms mixed with phonetic signs. This created an avenue for other parts of the world to start writing phonetically. For example, the Egyptians first started writing phonetically. -
2000 BCE
The Emergence of Cuneiform
People started writing cuneiform. They were called tablet writers and they wrote essays and books on the tablets. They would document their life on the tablets. The creation of cuneiform later evolved into the modern writing system braille. Cuneiform was a tactile form of writing with wedge-shaped indents in clay tablets. In the 19th century the tactile writing system, braille, was created. -
1500 BCE
The Creation of the Alphabet
The creation of the alphabet started with symbols representing the first letter of their respective words. The foundation of the alphabet was made only once and opened a gateway for all other languages and their alphabets.