The Sumerian civilization used an advanced writing system, the first in the world. It is one of only two certain instances of independent invention of writing. The other occurred in Mesoamerica (present-day Mexico) around 600 BC. The Semitic alphabet used names for things to recall the sequence of the alphabet, which has remained very similar: aleph = ox, beth = house, gimel = camel, daleth = door, etc. for a, b, g, d, etc., which then became alpha, beta, gamma, delta, etc. in Greek. Then the Romans replaced the “g” with a c and invented a new “g” in a different position.
