Clay tablets were an important medium for writing in ancient civilizations such as Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria. These tablets were made by shaping wet clay into flat, rectangular shapes, which were then dried and hardened. Scribes used a stylus, a pointed tool, to inscribe the clay with wedge-shaped marks called cuneiform. Each mark represented a sound, word, or idea. Once the writing was complete, the tablets were often baked or sun-dried to preserve the writing for long-term use. Clay tablets were versatile and could be used for various purposes, including recording laws, religious texts, historical accounts, business transactions, and literature. They were easy to transport, stack, and store, making them a durable and convenient medium for preserving information. Today, the discovery and decipherment of thousands of clay tablets have provided us with valuable insights into the languages, cultures, and histories of ancient civilizations. 

The initial writing of the Sumerians utilized simple pictures or pictograms. For example, a drawing of a person's head, meant the word "head". Over time, however, the writing of the Sumerians further developed to include sounds and meanings. Scribes would use the stylus to make wedge shaped marks in the clay. This type of writing is called cuneiform writing, which means "wedge-shaped".

A Sumerian scribe was an educated individual who played a crucial role in ancient Mesopotamian society. These scribes were highly skilled in reading and writing cuneiform, the wedge-shaped script used by the Sumerians. They often worked in temples, palaces, and administrative centers, where they recorded important information such as legal documents, contracts, religious texts, and historical accounts 

Translating cuneiform, the ancient Sumerian writing system, is like solving a puzzle from the past. It's a challenging task that requires the expertise of skilled scholars. They study the shape and arrangement of the wedge-shaped signs and symbols and compare them with known languages. Bilingual texts and related languages provide important clues. Imagine finding a piece of a puzzle and using it to unlock the meaning of other pieces. By piecing together these clues, researchers can decipher the messages written by ancient civilizations. However, some texts remain a mystery because there is still much to learn. Translating cuneiform is like unraveling secrets from a long-lost world, helping us understand the rich history and culture of ancient Mesopotamia.