Cuneiform

                                        Cuneiform was a method of writing invented in Mesopotamia.  Unlike
                                        other picture-based written languages such as Egyptian  Heiroglyphics ,
                                        Cuneiform was an actual alphabeit, or alphabetical system in which
                                        abstract symbols represented words and sounds. Cuneiform was usually
                                        inscribed on a clay or wax tablet with a small wooden stylus. A clay tablet
                                       could then be baked for a permanant record. And, in the case of the wax
                                        tablet, the surface could simply be smeared blank for a new set of
                                        symbols.

                                        Cuneiform was particularly important for the Mesopotamians (particularly
                                        the Phonecians) because of their experience as traders and Merchants.
                                        Cuneiform was compact, simple, and the clay tablets easy to transport. A
                                        complex system such as heiroglyphics would have been impractical for
                                        merchants who needed simple, speedy, and accurate documentation and
                                        record-keeping.