How did writing begin? episode artwork

EPISODE · May 14, 2026 · 12 MIN

How did writing begin?

from History for Kids / History's Not Boring: The Kids History Podcast · host SCL

Have you ever wondered how people remembered things before they could write them down? Join your hosts Mira and Finn on a time-traveling adventure to the year 3200 BC! We are heading to ancient Sumer, to a bustling mega-city called Uruk, where the greatest invention in human history is about to happen!Imagine using a wet lump of squishy clay and a pointy reed to do your homework! That is exactly how the ancient Sumerians invented the very first writing system, called cuneiform. At first, they just used wedge shapes to count sheep and grain. But soon, they were recording rules, epic stories, and stacking knowledge so it would last for thousands of years!But wait, the story doesn't stop there! We will also travel to ancient Egypt to decode beautiful picture writing called hieroglyphs, and then meet the clever Phoenicians who created the very first alphabet with just 22 letters! Without these amazing inventions, humans could never remember anything past one lifetime. Get ready to discover how the written word changed the world forever! Tune in and see why history is never boring!

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 14, 2026

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Have you ever wondered how people remembered things before they could write them down? Join your hosts Mira and Finn on a time-traveling adventure to the year 3200 BC! We are heading to ancient Sumer, to a bustling mega-city called Uruk, where the greatest invention in human history is about to happen! Imagine using a wet lump of squishy clay and a pointy reed to do your homework! That is exactly how the ancient Sumerians invented the very first writing system, called cuneiform. At first, the...

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How did writing begin?

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This episode is 12 minutes long.

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This episode was published on May 14, 2026.

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