Writing
By far the most important step in the passage to civilization was writing, developed in 3,600 BCE both in Egypt and Sumeria. It was initially used for counting and other mercantile applications before the coming of alphabets in Egypt 3,000 BCE and Crete 1,600 BCE. The oldest graphic symbols known to us are those found on shards, vases and stones discovered in the prehistoric tombs of Egypt, Spain and the Near East.
Source: Durant, Will, The Story of Civilization, Vol. 1: Our Oriental Heritage, A history of civilization in Egypt and the Near East to the Death of Alexander, and in India, China, and Japan from the beginning. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1954.
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Full disclosure, I may occasionally borrow a sentence from Will Durant's Story of Civilization. I absolutely love that collection!