历史小径·世界史英语30篇（4）
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The First Writing Systems: Marks That Changed the World
最早的书写系统：改变世界的符号
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Around 3400 BCE, people in ancient Sumer developed cuneiform — wedge-shaped marks pressed into clay tablets.
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These early symbols began as simple pictures but slowly became signs for sounds and abstract ideas.
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Scribes used reed styluses to make impressions, and dried or baked tablets preserved records for thousands of years.
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Writing helped governments collect taxes, track trade, and record laws like the Code of Ur-Nammu.
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Egyptians created hieroglyphs around the same time, often carved on temple walls or written on papyrus.
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Unlike oral stories, written texts could be copied, checked, and studied across generations without distortion.
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Scholars still decode new tablets today, revealing details about daily life, religion, and diplomacy.
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This invention did not spread quickly, but it laid the foundation for education, history, and science.