Cuneiform

ancient writing · Mesopotamia · history · clay tablets

Wedge-shaped marks. Cuneiform got its name from the distinctive wedge shapes that scribes pressed into soft clay to make letters and words. These tiny triangle marks formed the basis of an entire writing system.

Written on clay. Ancient scribes didn't write on paper like we do today. Instead, they carved cuneiform signs into wet clay tablets using a reed stylus, then let the tablets dry hard so the writing would last.

First writing ever. Cuneiform was the earliest known writing system in the world, invented by the Sumerians in southern Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) to keep track of goods and record information.

Long-lasting system. People used cuneiform for over 3,000 years, from the early Bronze Age all the way until around the 1st century BC when other writing systems took over.

Multiple languages. While cuneiform started with the Sumerian language, people later adapted it to write many other languages of the ancient Near East, showing how useful and flexible the system was.