When did the Jewish people develop their writing?

Hebrew scribes were a profession. They are part of ancient Jewish history and ancient Rome recognized their existence as early as 143 BC. If they existed prior to that, please add to this answer.

Jewish answer:

Hebrew scribes were around long before 143 BCE, which in our long history barely qualifies as "ancient." Over two centuries earlier, we have Baruch the scribe (Jeremiah 36:26), other scribes (ibid v.10), Ezra the Scribe (Ezra 7:6) and others (Nehemiah 13:13). A century before that, we have scribes (2 Chronicles 34:15). A century still earlier, we have scribes (Isaiah 36:22). Still earlier in the time of David, scribes (1 Chronicles 24:6). But all this shouldn't be surprising, seeing as every Israelite boy knew how to read and write (Judges 8:14). Some things in the Torah require writing (such as Deuteronomy 11:20, 24:1 and 31:19); and learning the calligraphy of a scribe was part of the regular Torah-education.