Final answer:
The ancient writing system illustrated in the picture is likely Egyptian hieroglyphics, a complex script of alphabetic, syllabic, and word signs alongside object pictures, dating back to around 3000 BCE and used by trained scribes for a variety of purposes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ancient writing system illustrated in the picture is most likely Egyptian hieroglyphics, which are known as 'sacred writings' from the Greek word hieroglyphics, but called medu-netjer or 'the god's words' by the Egyptians themselves. This sophisticated script, which originated around 3000 BCE, combined alphabetic signs, syllabic signs, word signs, and pictures, and was primarily used by highly trained scribes. Despite the complexity inherent in hieroglyphics, Egyptians also developed a simplified script known as hieratic for everyday use in commerce and recordkeeping.
In contrast to Egyptian hieroglyphics, the writing system developed by the Phoenicians was a syllabic alphabet utilized since around 1300 BCE. This system was far less complex and did not require a specialized scribal class, later influencing the Greek and Roman alphabets and most modern European languages. While Sumerian cuneiform, predating hieroglyphics, was the first writing system, invented around 3400 BCE and characterized by its distinctive wedge-shaped script, it does not align with the description given in the question. Chinese characters, while ancient, are a logographic system still in use today and differ significantly from Egyptian hieroglyphics.