In this chapter I want to deal initially with the part played by economic activities in the origin of the first complete writing systems, those found in the Ancient Near East. Recent research has insisted on two aspects: the early role of writing in exchange (effectively commerce) and the role of writing in the management of the economic affairs of the temple and the palace. Once introduced, however, it affected other areas of the economy.

The nature of that domain has been considered under four heads by economic anthropologists (Nash 1968): (1) technology and the division of labour; (2) the structure of productive units; (3) the system and media of exchange; (4) the control of wealth and capital. This is not the place to discuss the influence of writing on developments in technology and its application, since it would lead into a search for those inventions that were promoted not only by the use of graphics but by the whole literate tradition. Of course literacy had an influence on inventions and on the division of labour that resulted from their application. But in itself writing constitutes an important technology requiring a category of highly trained specialist which has to be maintained at the expense of the community. Some of these specialists were priests and some administrators, who employed writing in the running of the temple and palace respectively. Given the importance of the temple in relation both to writing and the economy, the effects of writing on its economy demand some prior treatment.