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Which ancient writing system was used to record the Sumerian language?

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The ancient writing system used to record the Sumerian language is known as cuneiform.12

Originating in southern Mesopotamia, the system evolved from early pictographic tablets used for bookkeeping into a more conventionalized script. The term cuneiform, derived from the Latin word cuneus meaning "wedge," refers to the characteristic wedge-shaped marks created by pressing a stylus into soft clay.13

While the script began as a logographic system—where symbols represented specific objects or concepts—it later incorporated the phonographic principle, allowing signs to represent phonetic sounds. This development enabled the representation of grammatical elements and complex language structures. Sumerian remained in written use through the end of the 3rd millennium BCE and continued to be recorded in cuneiform long after it ceased to be a spoken language.132