In the late fourth millennium BCE, administrative practices in Mesopotamian city-states underwent a critical transformation due to expanding trade networks. Initially, accounting relied on individual clay tokens of various shapes representing specific quantities of goods. As transactions grew more complex, administrators began impressing these tokens directly into clay envelopes, and eventually, drawing representations of the tokens on flat clay tablets instead. This transition marked the birth of proto-cuneiform writing, shifting human communication from three-dimensional object-based recordkeeping to two-dimensional symbolic notation. Consequently, this technological shift laid the foundation for the development of fully abstract writing systems capable of recording spoken language.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
- It identifies the broader historical significance of the administrative change detailed in the preceding sentences.Cevap
- BIt states the primary conclusion of the passage, which is that trade expansion caused the rise of spoken language.
- CIt describes the physical properties of the clay envelopes and flat tablets used by administrators.
- DIt suggests that early Mesopotamian traders actively resisted the adoption of two-dimensional symbolic notation.