In Mesopotamia, the writing system called cuneiform was used to keep records of the Sumerian government, economy, and society. Scribes were most important in Mesopotamia because unlike Egypt, not all citizens learned how to write. Scribes also used their clay tablets to keep records of trade and food supplies. Even the most famous Mesopotamian story, the Epic of Gilgamesh, was inscribed on these tablets. Trade in Mesopotamia was very important too. Merchants from Sumer sold their surpluses in their harvests in exchange for wood, salt, precious stones, and raw copper and tin.
