Written communications were a very important contribution to the early civilizations. We would most likely not have the ability to write if it were not for the people back in the beginnings of civilizations. The Mesopotamian civilization would not have been created if the Sumerians had not introduced the first alphabet. The region that the Sumerians lived in would not have been so prosperous if the Sumerians did not introduce the art of writing. This art was introduced around 3500 B.C.E. and it was the most important invention next to agriculture and the higher technologies that we have been given.
This art introduced by the Sumerians, was a very last minute addition to society. The people felt that there was a need for recording things and had no way to do it. The deeds of kings, political records, and property lines were the first major things that needed to be recorded. Like the Egyptians, the Sumerians used the art of "cuneiform" to write. The writing was evolved from pictures, which were baked on clay tablets. These pictures were eventually turned into symbols and transformed into phonetic elements. This form of writing, cuneiform was very hard to learn because there were so many different symbols and sounds for everything.
Writing eventually was like the turning point in societies during the early Mesopotamian civilizations. Science, mathematics and other forms of art were being produced. Not long after writing was introduced, had the civilizations begun to mature. The organization of public records and documents for taxation were more easily taken care of. Societies were able to record a variety of data and build on what they already knew. This building up of education was soon increasing the intellectual life. Culture was soon enhanced. People were getting more involved in their cultures. Epics, poetry, and other forms of literature were becoming the base of many civilizations.
