Changes

==Sumer==

==Sumer==

[[Image:Letter Luenna Louvre AO4238.jpg|200px|right|thumb|A cuneiform letter from a Sumerian queen to her king, dating from 2400 BC.]]

[[Image:Letter Luenna Louvre AO4238.jpg|200px|right|thumb|A cuneiform letter from a Sumerian queen to her king, dating from 2400 BC.]]

In the "fertile crescent," which is modern-day Iraq, the Sumerian and Babylonian civilizations developed a writing system known as cuneiform.  Cuneiform appears to have developed as a tallying system developed for commercial trade.  As the economy of the region diversified, it became necessary to keep track of transactions, as well as to write contracts and legal codes.   

In the "[[fertile crescent]]," which is modern-day [[Iraq]], the [[Sumerian]] and [[Babylonian]] civilizations developed a writing system known as [[cuneiform]].  Cuneiform appears to have developed as a tallying system developed for commercial trade.  As the economy of the region diversified, it became necessary to keep track of transactions, as well as to write contracts and legal codes.   

As the tallying system used by the early Sumerians became more complex, the cuneiform symbols began to represent individual sounds, which came from the first sound of the word they once represented.

As the tallying system used by the early Sumerians became more complex, the cuneiform symbols began to represent individual sounds, which came from the first sound of the word they once represented.

Unlike many writing systems of the ancient world, the clay tablets that cuneiform tended to be written on can survive for thousands of years.  We have a personal letter from a queen to a king dating from 2400 BC.  See picture.

Unlike many writing systems of the ancient world, the clay tablets that cuneiform tended to be written on can survive for thousands of years.  We have a personal letter from a queen to a king dating from 2400 BC.  See picture.

In the 7th century BC, the [[Epic of Gilgamesh]] was written with cuneiform, one of the earliest works of literature.

In the 7th century BC, the [[Epic of Gilgamesh]] was written with cuneiform, one of the earliest works of [[literature]].

==Egypt==

==Egypt==