A look at the beginnings of mass communication

The invention of a writing system is one of the most important inventions of humankind, just behind the invention of the wheel and the ability to use fire. Historians say that the invention of a writing system was the beginning of mass communication. The earliest full writing system is more than 5,000 years old. It comes from the Middle East in what was then called Sumeria. The Sumerians had a story to explain their invention of writing:
The king of Uruk sent one of his servants to another kingdom far away with an important message. The messenger arrived at the court so exhausted from the journey that he was not able to convey his message orally - he was too tired to speak. The king heard about this and was upset. He came up with a clever solution. From then on, when he wanted to send a message, he made a flat tablet out of wet clay. He cut the message into the soft clay. The tablet was the medium for the message. There was no alphabet or writing system, so he used pictures to write the message. Each picture or symbol was equal to a word or idea.

Though this story is interesting, it should be taken with a grain of salt: it is only a myth. Historian ask, why would the king write a letter if the receiver could not read it? They also doubt that the earliest writing system was a written version of speech. It is more likely that writing began as a separate system of communication. It probably developed to keep track of weighing and measuring animals and foods.
Historians agree on a few things, however. Early writing was pictographic - based on pictures, not sounds - and messages were carved into heavy clay tablets. Most importantly, they agree that a writing system was invented to store and transmit information. Prior to writing, communication was strictly "face to face". People only knew what others told them. Important information was not accessible to all people. With the invention of a writing system, information became portable. Writing allowed people to share their words and knowledge with others, near and far away.

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