Two sources detail the history of writing, beginning with the earliest known systems—cuneiform, hieroglyphics, and the Indus script—emerging around 3200 BCE. The Sumerians' cuneiform, using wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets, is highlighted as pivotal, influencing later systems like Egyptian hieroglyphics. The development of writing is linked to societal needs, such as long-distance trade and record-keeping, gradually evolving from pictographs representing objects to phonograms representing sounds, enabling more complex communication. Finally, the text emphasizes the impact of writing on preserving history, culture, and literature, exemplified by the works of Enheduanna and the Epic of Gilgamesh.