Writing appeared in Egypt around 3400–3200 BC. Scholars still debate whether the invention of writing in Egypt may have been inspired by people from Mesopotamia making their way to Egypt.
The earliest known Egyptian writing was discovered in Tomb U-j at Abydos dating to 3320 BC. The discovery of Tomb U-j pushed the date of the earliest Egyptian writing back, forcing scholars to feel that the Mesopotamians and Egyptians both independently developed writing around the same time.