The first true alphabet is believed to have emerged in the early second millennium BC in the region of the Sinai Peninsula. Known as the Proto-Sinaitic script, this early alphabetic system was influenced by Egyptian hieroglyphs and developed by Semitic-speaking peoples.

Cuneiform, considered to be the oldest known writing system, was developed by the Sumerians of Mesopotamia (an ancient region centered on modern-day Iraq) more than 5,000 years ago. The script used signs pressed into clay—and sometimes other materials—to represent words, sounds, or ideas.