I find it rather stimulating and fascinating, the incredible development of writing as an "invention" in our human civilization  (Strayer).  Just to know that our people was a key factor in this innovation perks my interest and fascinates me!  Writing is a form of communication.  It was a change in life, seen as a prestigious blessing from the divine higher spirits from above.  Writing did indeed change the old ways or traditional customary ways of orally speaking, conversing and understanding people.  It allowed subjects to flourish and function in new, higher levels of understanding.  Those who could understand written language were able to educate themselves in subjects such as "math, astronomy, literature and philosophy" (Strayer).  As writing was a form of perhaps better understanding each other and subjects, some viewed writing as a threat.  For those rulers (some from China) who did not quite care for the written words, saw it as a threat to their power.  Perhaps the written language was seen a form of competition to ruling the people.  Writing did however become useful and a prestigious form of keeping records in order to keep track of important and factual information.  It enabled people to know who owed money.  And as towns grew bigger, the technology of writing became even more beneficial in order to write down, have control and order among people.  Laws and rules were able to be put into effect and made clear to people.  Writing is one major evidence of human history.  Old records show in Strayer's book that the Sumer culture had one of the earliest form of writing by using "clay tablets" (Stayer).  The Sumer people were able to communicate through these tablets, describing and representing certain objects, ideas and sounds in nature that was meaningful to them.  One example of a pictogram was that of a bird.  It is a simple drawing known as "Cuneiform" (Strayer).  It's amazing how this innovation would begin to expand, grow and spread around the world.  The ideas in people's heads were no longer to be spread by word of mouth but by the written language.