Cuneiform refers to what?

• A. A system of writing.
• B. A type of pottery.
• C. A city.
• D. A mathematical concept.

Answer: (A)

Cuneiform is a system of writing developed in ancient Mesopotamia. It began with the Sumerians around 3400–3200 BCE to record trade, inventory, and administrative notes on clay tablets. The name itself means wedge-shaped, because scribes pressed a reed stylus into soft clay to leave distinctive wedge marks. Over time, writing evolved from simple pictographs to a more flexible script that could represent sounds and syllables, allowing languages like Sumerian, Akkadian, and others to be written with the same approach. This writing enabled complex administration, law codes, literature (such as the Epic of Gilgamesh), and wide-ranging trade across the region. It isn’t pottery, a city, or a mathematical concept, which is why the writing system explanation is the correct one.