Final answer:
Von Petzinger describes cuneiform and hieroglyphs as complex writing systems that evolved from earlier pictographic representations, which were foundational to the development of writing as we know it today, advancing communication from practical record-keeping to preserving cultural continuity.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Von Petzinger, the development of writing systems such as cuneiform and hieroglyphs represents a significant evolution in human communication. Cuneiform, one of the earliest known writings, began as pictographs and eventually evolved into a wedge-shaped script, with its roots in the Sumerian language and adapted by cultures across the Middle East. Similarly, Egyptian hieroglyphs began as pictorial symbols and developed into a complex script used exclusively by trained scribes.
These systems facilitated not only practical record-keeping, such as tax and mercantile transactions, but also the creation of literature and served as a means to preserve cultural continuity over generations. The graphics and pictographic representations from which these writing systems evolved are directly related to writing as we understand it today in that they are the precursors to our current alphabetic writing, originating from a shared human necessity to record, communicate, and comprehend abstract concepts and language.