Over five thousand years ago, writing first began to develop. Starting out, the writing was done on clay tablets and was not pegged to any language. It was actually originally made using a type of drawing, called pictographic writing (right).
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Slowly, these pictures evolved into shapes that looked a little more like words, known today as cuneiform (left). Scribes, who made writing into a job, would use a stylus made from a reed to make wedge-shaped letters on wet clay. In fact, the word "cuneiform" (which we developed in modern time to describe ancient writing) is from the latin words for "wedge-shaped".
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Though there were many different types of people throughout the history of Mesopotamia (the Babylonians and the Assyrians for example), it was one specific group of people who marked the beginning of writing in Mesopotamia and the world. They were known as the Sumerians, and the very first word-like writing was done in their language. As populations fluctuated and kings rose and fell, the languages and dialects changed.
There is a strong link between writing and religion in Mesopotamia and, indeed, in more recent history (see Compare and Contrast). The words and languages change, but long after a language falls out of daily use, it is still greatly valuable to Priests and people in power, forming the basis of religious ceremonies and traditions. A further link in ancient Mesopotamia is that to be a scribe, you had to be a person of great importance and it was known as a very sacred thing. It was also considered something that was difficult to learn (see Education and Jobs).
A third link between writing and religion is the very common use of cylinder seals as a signature on documents. These seals were like beads that were carved in reverse and when rolled on soft clay, they would leave an impression. These seals were also believed to have magic powers in terms of keeping the gods from being angry (see Worshipping and Disease).