Final answer:
The earliest known writing in a civilization first developed in Sumer, located in the Middle East, around 3000 BCE. This script, known as cuneiform, predates the development of writing in Egypt, China, and India.
Option C is correct
Step-by-step explanation:
The earliest known writing in a civilization first developed in C) the Middle East. It was in the ancient civilization of Sumer in southern Mesopotamia, located in the modern Middle East, that the first genuine writing system, cuneiform script, emerged around 3000 BCE. This early writing system was used for recording economic transactions, laws, and literature, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh.
While civilizations in Egypt, China, and India also developed their own writing systems, they did not precede the Sumerian invention of writing. For instance, the Egyptian hieroglyphs came into existence after cuneiform and the Indus Valley Civilization in India and the Shang Dynasty in China developed their scripts later on.
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