The small cylinder seal in Figure 11 dates back to 5000 BCE and represents another form of written communication that is specific to the Mesopotamian region. Fashioned primarily out of stone, these seals became popular because they could be easily carried on a rope or pinned to a garment, making them less cumbersome then the bulla or stone tablets. Made from local stone such as hematite, lapis lazuli, and even obsidian, the objects were made by a burgul or sealcutter who carved a small cylinder from the stone and drilled a hole lengthwise through the middle.[2] Images were carved on the stone so that when it was rolled across wet clay an impression of the writing or design was created.

Cylinder seals were commonly used by anyone involved in business dealings, but they served a more extensive purpose than just recordkeeping. The seals usually bore an individual’s identification and occupation. When the seal was rolled on to a wet clay surface, its image served as a calling card or signature for proof of payment, much like a business card or signature on a credit-card receipt is used today. In addition to personal rank and standing, cylinder seals held decorative motifs that reflected the style and culture of Mesopotamia. Each seal was fashioned out of locally quarried stone with designs that were indicative of the region and the period in which it was created. As a result, archeologists and historians utilize cylinder seals to learn more about the daily lives of people who lived throughout the ancient Mesopotamian region. The images tell of everything from epic tales, religious rituals, objects found in nature, and everyday domestic life to administrative hierarchies, making them both functional and culturally reflective.

As the written word evolved into an alphabetic language, the use of clay tablets remained the primary form of documentation through the Mesopotamian region, and was used for literature, administration, commemoration, recordkeeping, and business transactions. It was not until the time of the Phoenicians, residents of a coastal city-state in the Levant region that monopolized maritime trade across the Mediterranean Sea, that a more simplified alphabetic language replaced the Sumerian alphabet. The Phoenician alphabet, made up of a combination of Egyptian hieroglyphics and cuneiform, spread as the city-state engaged in maritime trade throughout the region.

For example, in looking at fig. 12, the first image is a pictograph of an object that is used to represent the generic term for grain (translated into bread). By 3200 BCE, different types of grain, such as wheat, oats, and barley needed specialized identification called ideogram, which can be seen in the second image.