Writing and Printing

Hiroglyphic

3000 BCE

Five hundred years later around 3000 BC, the Ancient Egyptians used symbols called hieroglyphics. Each symbol represented words, syllables or sounds. The Egyptians wrote on papyrus.

Finally

2000 BCE

Nowadays, printing is done digitally. In fact, much of what we write (and read) is now produced electronically and the use of paper and ink is decreasing.

Fibre tip pen

1960 BCE

fibre tip pen was invented in the 1960s.

Biró

1940 BCE

The modern biro was invented in 1940 by Georg Biró

Fountains pens

1800 BCE

In Europe, quills (feathers) were used until fountain pens were invented in the 1800s

New paper

1600 BCE

Newspapers were first printed in Europe in the early 1600s.

Printing press

1450 BCE

Around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg built the first printing press. It could print about 16 pages every hour.

Printed book

868 BCE

The first printed book is thought to have been made in China in AD 868. It was a long roll of paper made by using wooden blocks covered with ink, which were pressed onto the paper.

Paper

868

The first printed book is thought to have been made in China in AD 868. It was a long roll of paper made by using wooden blocks covered with ink, which were pressed onto the paper.

Alphabet

1300

The first true alphabet evolved in Syria around 1300 BC. Each symbol or letter represented a sound. Letters could be put together to form a complete word. This is the basis of our present-day alphabet.

Pictographic

3500

Around 3500 BC, the Sumerians, an ancient people living in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), were the first people to write down their language. Their writing is known as pictographic because it used pictures to represent words. They wrote on clay tablets.