Mesopotamia: The Development of Written Language

Discover how writing began in ancient Mesopotamia! Fill in the blanks and learn about cuneiform, scribes, and early laws.

Fill in the Blanks 1. The first system of writing contained symbols that stood for words.2. The Sumerians made styluses out of reeds that grew along the rivers.3. In order to make the clay tablets last, they were put out into the sun to make them harden.4. Boys and girls attended the Tablet School for 12 years to learn how to be a scribe.5. The Sumerians were also the first civilization to write down their laws.6. Each night, priests watched the moon and stars and scribes recorded what was seen because the priests were looking for signs to help them figure out what the gods might want and have planned.7. Stories about the gods were called myths.8. Like the Christians and Jews, the Mesopotamians had a story about how the gods once used a flood to destroy all evil humans, except for one human who saved all the animals.9. The Mesopotamian hero Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu asked the god of the sun to help them defeat the evil monster.10. Inanna, the goddess of love and war, was furious that Gilgamesh did not love her and sent a giant bull to destroy the city.11. Gilgamesh searched for ways to become immortal because he didn't want to die, so he went looking for the only man to survive the flood.12. The meaning behind the story is that Gilgamesh learned that only the gods could be immortal (live forever) and that he should appreciate every day of life.