When was writing formalized in Mesopotamia, marking its escape from human memory?
Answer
Around the fourth millennium BCE
Writing emerged as a formal technology intended to preserve knowledge beyond the limitations of human memory and the transient nature of spoken communication. This innovation took shape in Mesopotamia, achieving formalization around the fourth millennium BCE. This crucial development provided the foundation necessary for complex societal structures, allowing for the establishment of permanent records such as history, detailed laws, administrative bureaucracy, and systematic scientific inquiry. Before writing, the continuous accumulation of knowledge across generations was severely hampered, as each generation risked having to rediscover preceding advancements.
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