Written Word

  • 3600 BCE

    Invention of writing in Sumer at Uruk

  • Period: 3500 BCE to 3100 BCE

    Writing, Crafts, and Pottery produced

  • 3200 BCE

    First Instance of written language in Sumerian

  • 3200 BCE

    Hieroglyphic writing develops in Egypt

  • Period: 2890 BCE to 2670 BCE

    Seshat first mentioned as goddess of writing and measurement in the 2nd Dynasty of the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt

  • 2500 BCE

    Beginning of literature in Sumerian

  • Period: 2285 BCE to 2250 BCE

    Life of Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon of Akkad, and world's first author known by name

  • Period: 2150 BCE to 1400 BCE

    The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh written on clay tablets

  • 2000 BCE

    Minoan hieroglyphic script is invented

  • Period: 1900 BCE to 1600 BCE

    Composition of The Descent of Inanna

  • 1700 BCE

    Minoan Linear A script

  • Period: 1640 BCE to 1700 BCE

    Written form of the Atrahasis Myth of the Great Flood

  • 1600 BCE

    Canaanite alphabet

  • Period: 1600 BCE to 1000 BCE

    Jiaguwen Script develops in China

  • Period: 1600 BCE to 1046 BCE

    Writing develops in China during the Shang Dynasty

  • Period: 1500 BCE to 500 BCE

    The Vedic Period in India

  • Period: 1500 BCE to 1100 BCE

    The Rig Veda written, mentioning the god Rudra (Shiva) for the first time

  • 1450 BCE

    Linear B script developed at Mycenae

  • 1400 BCE

    Ugaritic alphabet of 30 letters is invented

  • 1100 BCE

    Phoenician alphabet develops

  • 1000 BCE

    Death of Ahiram (or Ahirom) of Byblos, whose sarcophagus bears the oldest inscription of the Phoenician alphabet

  • Period: 1000 BCE to 700 BCE

    Dazhuan Script develops in China

  • 800 BCE

    Earliest examples of Greek alphabetic script

  • 700 BCE

    Xiaozhuan Script develops in China

  • Period: 647 BCE to 629 BCE

    Extensive collection of clay tablets acquired known as Ashurbanipal's Library at Nineveh

  • Period: 600 BCE to 800 BCE

    The Zapotec Period in which writing, mathematics, and astronomy were disseminated. Calendar developed.

  • 500 BCE

    Lishu "Clerky Script" develops in China

  • 196 BCE

    The Rosetta Stone was made, a stela carrying a priestly decree from the reign of Ptolemy V in three languages: Egyptian hieroglyphs, demotic and Greek script

  • 250

    Soon after people started giving other people papyrus with writing on it. They started letters!

  • 250

    In the year 2500 B.C. the Egyptians found a simpler writting surface, the papyrus plant.

  • 300

    The start of writting words began in 4th millennum B.C.

  • Sep 18, 1200

    The first paper was made almost 2 thousand years ago, by the Chinese. The Chinese kept it a secret from the rest of the world using papyrus. Until it was brought to the 8th century, by 1150 paper was a common use in Europe.

  • Jun 22, 1400

    The first scroll was made by a Roman emperor.

  • Aug 22, 1400

    In the 14th century pencils became a common writting tool.

  • Nov 22, 1400

    The Roman emperor Trajan, commanded the positus to deliver important papers . This is where the word post it comes from.

  • Dec 22, 1400

    The Roman emperor Trajan, commanded the positus to deliver important papers . This is where the word post it comes from.

  • In 1840 Great Britain made the first prepaid stam nationwide, postal service. Soon after other countries had similar systems.

  • The United States introduced a limited postal servie in August 1842.

  • Computer is invented

  • Email was invited in the late 1970's and it became part of people everyday lives in the 1990's.

  • Egyptologist from Yale University found a clay tablet with the story of King Scorpion written on it.

  • Emojis were invented

  • People send emails because its faster than writing letters, but people still send letters a lot.

  • Future of Writing

    I think the future of writing will no longer involve pencil and paper and will all be electronic
  • Future of Writing (Other Possibilities)

    Writing could be eliminated all together. We could speak and have it typed for us and sent to the person. The future is very bright!