* Pictographs: These are drawings that directly represent objects or ideas. Think of the sun symbol ☀️ or a picture of a house 🏠.
* Cuneiform: This writing system used wedge-shaped marks pressed into clay tablets. While it initially started with pictographs, it quickly evolved into a system of signs representing syllables and sounds.
Key differences:
* Abstraction: Cuneiform became highly abstract, with signs representing sounds and syllables rather than just objects. This made it much more efficient for writing language.
* Method of creation: Pictographs were drawn, while cuneiform was impressed into clay.
* Flexibility: Cuneiform could represent a wide range of words and ideas, whereas pictographs were limited to what could be visually depicted.
So, it's more accurate to say that cuneiform is a descendant of pictographs, not simply an advanced form. It built upon the concept of visual representation but took it to a whole new level of complexity and abstraction.