Myths and legends of the supernatural shroud the early history of writing, as they do of speech. Archaeological discoveries provide charming pinholes of illumination along with frustrated problems of interpretation. An account of the 【S1】______. early history of writing has gradually emerged, but it keeps many gaps and 【S2】______. ambiguities. The matter is complicated by the fact that, in this early period, it is by no means easy to decide whether a piece of graphic expression should be counted as an artistic imagination or as a symbol of primitive writing. In 【S3】______. principle, the difference is clear: the first conveys personal and subjective 【S4】______. meanings, and does not combine into a system of recurring symbols with accepted values; by contrast, the latter is conventional and institutionalized, capable of been understood in the same way by all who are using the system. 【S5】______. When the product is a rock carving or painting of an animal, there is a little 【S6】______. doubt that its purpose is nonlinguistic (thought whether it has an aesthetic, religious, or other function is debatable). However, when the product is a series of apparent geometrical shapes or tiny characters, the distinction between art and writing becomes more obvious. The language may even reflect 【S7】______. the problem: in early Greek, and in Egyptian, the same word was used for both 'write' and 'draw'. One point, at least, is fairly clear. It now seems most likely that writing system revolved independently of each other at 【S8】______. different times in several parts of the world -- in Mesopotamia, China, Meso- America, and elsewhere. There is anything to support a theory of common 【S9】______. origin. There are of course similarities between these systems, but these are not altogether surprising, giving the limited ways of devising a system of 【S10】______. written communication. 【S1】