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3200 BCE
Writing is Created
Writing first known as Cuneiform, began in 3200 BC. It was the only known form of writing with a prehistoric origin. Starting this early writing helped them by enabling various information to be recorded and kept during their time for business, activities, and trading.
(“The Evolution of Writing | Denise Schmandt-Besserat”)
(“Khan Academy”) -
3100 BCE
Pictography
In 3100 BC a new form was created that used "pictures" to write. This allowed them to keep track of their money and debt that was given or received as time went on.
(“The Evolution of Writing | Denise Schmandt-Besserat”) -
3000 BCE
The Beginning of Logography
Logography introduced the formation of sounds to the things they drew. When this was created the people who had created it had their names carved into tablets for records. This was the start of words being formed and allowed them to break away from accounting.
(“The Evolution of Writing | Denise Schmandt-Besserat”) -
1500 BCE
The Alphabet is "Created"
When the alphabet was created in the ancient Near East it only consisted of about 22 letters. This new addition helped them better communicate and put sounds to the things they wanted to say. Many words were then created using the letters and motivated other places to create their own alphabets later on.
(“The Evolution of Writing | Denise Schmandt-Besserat”) -
800 BCE
The Alphabets During Modern Days
As the alphabet was only created once others started to learn these letters, as time went on it started evolving into many different alphabets. This helped them better write and continue learning. Someone named Charlemagne played an important role in the establishment of the Latin script. He created a legible cursive script and we now use this for our lowercase letters when writing.
(“The Evolution of Writing | Denise Schmandt-Besserat”) -
700 BCE
New Writing in Egypt
In 700 BC a new writing style was introduced in Ancient Egypt. This new system was a cursive form and allowed for a more effective way of doing business. The Hieroglyphs stayed as well but were mostly used for religious purposes only. This form of writing was important because as it evolved more and more writing styles were introduced/created. (“Ancient Writing – Collections”) -
Writing in the 1800s
During the 1800s writing had already evolved a lot. But, during this time pens were made out of quill feathers mostly. Literature was improving and there was more access to publishing things than there had been. This was an important time because many documents and writings were made and more people were able to have access to writing utensils.
(“George Washington’s Mount Vernon”) -
The rise of typewriters
During the 1900s handwriting began to decrease and the use of typewriters became popular. This was the rise of "electronics" and faster more efficient communication techniques. This era was important to modernist and postmodernist literature. It was also an important step for people as they were now able to write things faster than they had in the earlier stages of writing.
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(“From Quills to Typewriters”) -
The rise of phone usage and internet access
In the early 2000s, the internet became a big thing. Phones were starting to get popular and the digital world became a big part of how messages were written. Writing was still mostly handwritten but many started to explore other ways to write things digitally. This was an important time for writing and humans as it was a big development for writers all over the world. Creative writing also became more popular during this time.
(Chatterjee) -
Writing lately
Writing in the last 5 years has been mostly written online or through text messages. It has come a long way since it first began in the BC Eras. Publishing books is now much easier and writing overall is more efficient for people all over the world. Many of the books we read today are first published online and then published as a paper copy later on. This is an important time for writers as many different genres are being explored and created the longer it evolves. (Chatterjee)