The development of writing was pioneered / not by gossips, storytellers, or poets, / but by accountants.

The earliest writing system / has its roots in the Neolithic period, / when humans first began to switch / from hunting and gathering / to a settled lifestyle based on agriculture.

This shift began around 9500 BC / in a region known as the Fertile Crescent, / which stretches from modern-day Egypt, / up to southeastern Türkiye, / and down again to the border / between Iraq and Iran.

Writing seems to have evolved in this region / from the custom of using small clay pieces / to account for transactions involving agricultural goods / such as grain, sheep, and cattle.

In ancient Mesopotamia, / farmers also used irrigation canals / to control the flow of water / from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

The first written documents, / which come from the Mesopotamian city of Uruk / and date back to around 3400 BC, / record amounts of bread, payment of taxes, and other transactions / using simple symbols and marks on clay tablets.