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10,000 BCE
Prehistoric man
In the caves prehistoric people carved their hunting adventures. -
5500 BCE
The oldest known writing - Mesopotamia
Carvings and marks on a limestone tablet -
3500 BCE
Cuneiform scribe
Sumerians developed a wedge-shaped system of writing. -
2200 BCE
Egyptian scribe
Egyptians developed a type of picture writing -
1500 BCE
Linear A
Linear A is a writing system used by the Minoans (Cretans). It is undeciphered. -
1100 BCE
Linear B
Linear B is a syllabic script developed during the Mycenaean civilisation. It is the earliest attested form of Greek. It has been deciphered. -
800 BCE
Phoenician script
Another important early syllabic script that influenced ancient Greeks a lot in creating their alphabet. The Bible - meaning book - has taken its name from the Phoenician city Byblos. -
600 BCE
Ancient Greek
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200 BCE
Hellinistic times
The library of Alexandria where ancient texts in the form of papurus scrolls were collected, transcribed and preserved for some centuries. -
1450
Printing by Johann Gutenberg
He produced movable, metal letters that could be used again and again. He converted a wine press into the first printing press and found a durable metal to make the letters from.