Sumerians' Arithmetic and Writing

The Sumerians took a leading role in pioneering the development of an arithmetic system, which was crucial for managing quantities of goods like sacks of grain or heads of cattle, involving operations such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication.

In response to practical needs in trade and tax collection, the Sumerians also devised an effective system of weights and measures. Their groundbreaking innovation in writing originated from the necessity to record information about goods.

Initially, records featured simple pictorial representations, such as an ox head, accompanied by dots indicating quantity. These symbols were etched onto soft clay tablets using a sharpened reed and then solidified in a kiln.

Originally organized in vertical columns from the top right, around 3000 BC, scribes discovered that horizontal rows, written from left to right, offered enhanced clarity. Simultaneously, the original pointed stylus was replaced with one featuring a wedge-shaped tip. This alteration facilitated crisper impressions on the clay, avoiding the untidy ridges associated with scratching.

The Mesopotamian writing system consisted of stylized images entirely formed by cuneiform, or 'wedge-shaped,' marks, representing a significant advancement in communication during that era.
Sumerians' Arithmetic and Writing