1001 Space Earth Nature History First Civilisations Ancient Egypt Biblical Times Ancient Greece Ancient Rome Chinese, Japanese Civilisations Indian Civilisation African Civilisation The Early Americas The Rise of Islam The Middle Ages The Renaissance Civil War and Revolution The Industrial Revolution Two World Wars 20th-century Achievements Human World Science and Technology	When did people first learn to write? Writing first developed in Mesopotamia about 3300 BC as a way of recording trade deals. At first pictures were used; then symbols were invented to represent the sounds of speech. Early Egyptian writing   Previous: Back Book: 1001 Section: History Chapter: First Civilisations