Which civilizations invented phonetic writing?

While the exact origins of phonetic writing are debated, the Phoenicians are generally credited with developing the first fully phonetic alphabet around the 11th century BC.

Here's why:

* Prior Writing Systems: Earlier civilizations like the Sumerians and Egyptians used logographic systems, where each symbol represented a word or concept. This made writing very complex and limited to a select few.

* Phoenician Innovation: The Phoenicians, influenced by existing Semitic scripts, realized they could represent sounds instead of words. Their alphabet used 22 consonants, which were later adopted and adapted by other civilizations.

* Impact on Western Writing: The Phoenician alphabet was adopted by the Greeks, who added vowels and further developed it into the Greek alphabet. This, in turn, influenced the Roman alphabet, which became the basis for most modern European scripts.

While the Phoenicians are credited with the first fully phonetic alphabet, other civilizations played important roles in the development of writing:

* Ancient Egyptians: Their hieroglyphs, while initially logographic, incorporated phonetic elements.

* Mesopotamians: Their cuneiform script, while initially pictographic, evolved to include syllabic and phonetic elements.

It's important to remember that the evolution of writing was a complex process involving multiple civilizations and innovations. The Phoenicians' contribution was pivotal in simplifying writing and making it accessible to a wider population.