Final answer:
Cuneiform, the world's first writing, developed from pictographs in ancient Sumer, where it was used to record various types of information on clay tablets. It evolved into a widespread writing system before being overtaken by alphabetic scripts.
Step-by-step explanation:
Prof. Griffin likely argued that the world's first writing, known as cuneiform, developed from a system of pictographs that were used for keeping records such as taxations and commercial transactions in ancient Sumer, modern-day Southern Iraq. Cuneiform writing began around 3400 BCE as simple pictures or symbols that represented words or ideas and evolved into a complex system of wedge-shaped strokes created by pressing a stylus into wet clay tablets. These tablets, once dried or fired, provided a durable medium for recording a variety of data, including the allocation of resources like beer, legal codes, religious texts, and even literary works. From its origins in Sumer, cuneiform spread to a wide region, influencing the writing systems of several cultures and languages until its eventual decline and replacement by alphabetic scripts.