More than 5,000 years ago in what is now Southern Iraq, people began living together in towns and cities. This set the stage for one of the most important advances in civilization: writing!
The Sumerians of Mesopotamia were apparently the first to hit upon the idea of marking clay tablets with a sharp reed pen to help them keep track of important transactions. The invention of writing was an instant success. Soon no one would accept any business deal as genuine unless it was written down.
The first examples of writing are crude drawings of familiar objects. For example, early writers indicated darkness by drawing an arc with several parallel lines beneath it. This suggested the setting sun. As life grew more complex, so did the writing system. Knowing how to read and write became the way to wealth and power.
Even today, skill at making and interpreting black marks on paper remains the way for most people to become successful. And not knowing how to read and write can still mean a life of poverty.
