It has been claimed by a group of researchers lately that it has discovered the first ever data storage system in the world.

The team from the University of Chicago said that the system was around 5,500 years old. It had clay balls, which were brought to light in Iran. These balls, better known as envelopes, were used to maintain records in Mesopotamia.

High-resolution CT scans were used by the researchers along with 3D modeling to conduct the study. The aim was to investigate a total of 20 examples, which had been scraped out at the Choga Mish site in the 1960s in western Iran.

As per the findings, the clay balls carried tokens that were in varied geometric shapes. The shapes differed from the size of golf ball to that of a baseball.

For a long time now, it has been deemed by researchers that economic transactions could be recorded using clay balls. The construal is on the basis of a review of clay ball, 3,300 years old. The ball was discovered in Mesopotamia at Nuzi-named site.

The report said that the site had as many as 49 pebbles. Also, a cuneiform text with a contract that commanded for 49 sheep and goats' care by a shepherd was there.