This document summarizes the early history of writing. It begins with pictographic writing systems that used drawings to represent ideas. This evolved into a syllabic system where each symbol represented a sound. The Egyptians then developed the first alphabet around 3000 BC using around 20 symbols to represent sounds. The Phoenicians adapted this alphabet, simplifying and altering it. They then passed the alphabet on to the Greeks and Romans. The word "alphabet" comes from the Greek names for the first two letters, alpha and beta.