Name:_____________________________________________________ Yr. & Sec.
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Activity3. Direction: Read the text below and complete the topic outline that follows.
Write yours answer on a separate sheet of paper. Strictly observe the guidelines in writing an
outline.
Origins of Writing
Ancient civilizations attributed the origins of writing to the gods. For the ancient Egyptians,
their god Thoth was the creator of writing and, in some stories, also the creator of speech. The
ancient Sumertans and Assyrians also believed that writing originated with certain gods, as did
the ancient Maya. In Chinese mythology, the creation of writing is attributed to an ancient sage
and was used for communication with the gods. Clearly, writing was highly valued even by
ancient peoples.
Humans began painting pictures on cave walls 25,000 years ago or more, but writing
systems did not develop until groups of people began settling in farming communities. Scholars
say that writing systems developed independently in at least three different parts of the world:
Mesopotamia, China, and Mesoarnertca.
The oldest known writing system developed among the ancient Sumertans in
Mesopotamia around 3000 B.C. Along with the rise of agricultural societies carne the
development of property ownership and the need to keep records of it. In early agricultural
societies, property consisted largely of land, livestock such as cattle, and grain. Originally,
clay tokens of various shapes were used to count these possessions.
From this developed a system of impressing the shapes onto clay tablets. One of the earliest
clay tablets of this type was found in excavations in Mesopotamia and dates from the time of the
Sumertan culture. Scribes then began using reeds instead of tokens to mark the clay, developing
a system of wedgelike shapes to represent the tokens. This system of writing using wedge
shapes is known as cuneiform. It was later adopted by other cultures and became the basis for
other writing systems. Originating in a system that used pictures to represent objects, cuneiform
writing eventually developed into systems that used symbols to represent the sounds of
language.
The oldest form of Chinese writing dates from around 1500 B.c. It is called oracle bone
script because it was carved on animal bones and shells that were used for predicting the future.
At a later period, Chinese writing appeared on bronze vases and later still developed into a
system that was used to record government affairs. The Chinese writing system was also the
original basis for both the Japanese and Korean writing systems.
In Mesoarnertca, a region that encompasses parts of Mexico and Central Arnertca, it is the
ancient Mayans who are famous for the writing they inscribed on temple walls and other
religious structures. However, scholars believe that writing in that part of the world may have
begun before the rise of the Mayan civilization. The Zapotec culture, centered on Oaxaca, Mexico,
was already using writing around 400 B.C., or possibly earlier. The Olmec culture may have
developed a writing system even earlier than that. Recent discoveries show that the Mayans may
have begun writing around 2,300 years ago. They used a system of symbols that represented
words and syllables to record information about the deeds of their rulers as well as information
connected to their calendar and astronomy. Their system of writing survived until the time of
the Spanish Conquest in the 1500s.
In ancient times, only specialized people such as scholars, priests, or government officials
used writing. Today, close to three-quarters of the world's adult population can read and write,
and literacy is considered a basic skill necessary to function in the modern world.
