Writing is one of mankind's most enduring technologies. For fifty-six hundred years, this ability to t_______ (1 từ) thoughts over generations, to give instructions, to express ourselves, to communicate ideas over the gulf of space and time, has allowed us to make vast strides in our understanding of the universe, our understanding of each other, and our understanding of ourselves.

But to understand how writing began, we have to travel back to ancient Sumer, where the first w______(1 từ) use of writing started.

Look around. What do you see? Yes, you see the p______(1 từ) and the merchants.

Not hundreds of people or thousands of people, but tens of thousands grouped together. And these cities formed city states b____ (1 từ) together by the veneration of a specific set of gods.

The people mastered (1) i______and the cities grew, and as the cities grew, so too did the temples to the gods. But these massive, sprawling temple (2) c______didn't serve only as houses of worship.

Điền (1)

[1 từ]

The people mastered (1) i______and the cities grew, and as the cities grew, so too did the temples to the gods. But these massive, sprawling temple (2) c______didn't serve only as houses of worship.

Điền (2)

[1 từ]

In good times, d______(1 từ) and gifts would come flooding in. And in lean times, they would be distributed back out.

This system created vast wealth for the p______ (1 từ), but it also ensured that cities of this size could function.

But we're not concerned with that. Not directly. Look next to the men bringing in the g____ (1 từ).

Notice how every time they bring in a jar of grain, he makes a little mark on that c______(2 từ) he's holding.