One script, cuneiform, served several Mesopotamian civilizations. The Writing chapter illustrates the difference between script and language, and the fundamental importance of writing for ancient civilizations.

The home page explains why writing developed in Mesopotamia and what it looks like.

The story explains how the writing system worked in Mesopotamia by exploring one sign which changed in shape and meaning through time. This section could be used to make a comparison with other ancient writing systems such as hieroglyphs.

The explore allows pupils to investigate the world of a scribe and the variously shaped objects on which different types of information were recorded. This section could be used to explore why certain objects are used to store particular information, and what certain societies need to record.

The challenge shows pupils how ancient tablets are often found broken and need to be joined back together. Once the ‘jig-saw-puzzle' has been completed the pupils will be able to ‘read' each tablet.