Introduction Over the course of history, thousands of civilizations developed all around the world, some thriving and emerging as empires, and others declining and fading from memory. They left behind many legacies, such as cultural traditions and political systems; however, their greatest contributions were their inventions. They allowed the civilizations to grow and advance, eventually progressing to become what our society is today. Nearly all modern day inventions have roots dating back to early civilizations, such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Rome. Ancient inventions had a powerful and undisputable impact on the modern world, as they stimulated progress in past civilizations, resulting in technological advancement overtime to become sophisticated and essential to our needs. Argument #1 Mesopotamia Introduction Ancient Mesopotamia is one of the earliest civilizations to emerge, dating back to 3100 BCE. Its people, the Sumerians, are credited with the invention of some of the most important human creations, such as the first form of writing, the wheel, and various aspects of mathematics. Being such an early civilization, these inventions were fairly basic, and were greatly improved over the next two thousand years, to become indispensable to the people of today. Point #1 - Cuneiform For instance, the first form of writing was invented in Ancient Mesopotamia, which revolutionized the world of communication. With the use of a stylus, the Sumerians made wedge-shaped marks on wet clay tablets [13], recording everything from household goods, to which kings were in power [16]. This form of writing was called cuneiform. Most information known to us about that time period came from cuneiform tablets [15], and even after the decline of Ancient Mesopotamia, other civilizations continued to use this script [14]. Its impact was so great, that it surpassed the Bronze Period, and has become a necessity of the modern world. Proof #1 Cuneiform Writing is regarded as the threshold of history, because it ended the former reliance upon oral tradition, with all the inaccuracies it had entailed [20], says Denise Schmandt-Besserat, a retired professor of art and archaeology of the ancient Near East. Cuneiform was a revolutionary invention, as before its discovery, the Sumerians relied solely on oral communication to share knowledge. This was problematic, because people had no real way of storing important information for further reference, such as laws and financial transactions. Cuneiform put an end to the flaws of oral communication, like misheard words, especially in government matters. It added order to the Sumerians way of life, and forever changed the way information was exchanged between individuals. Explanation #1 Cuneifor