~3200 BCEReputable sourceWell documented
The invention of writing
On the timeline · around ~3200 BCE · Prehistory
What happened
Sumerians in Mesopotamia developed cuneiform, among the first writing systems, initially for administrative record-keeping.
Why it matters
Writing made complex administration, law, and the recording of history possible — the start of the written record.
How we know
Clay tablets from Uruk bearing proto-cuneiform accounts, dated to around 3200 BCE.
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Cuneiform · Reputable source