Evolution of Writing and Printing

Evolution of the Pictograph

•In the 1000 B.C. era, Egyptian Hieroglyphs evolved into the first alphabet.

•Scribed on Papyrus Scrolls using primitive inks.

Papyrus

• Papyrus: An early form of paper, usually used in rolls, made from the pulp of the papyrus plant.

Papyrus scrolls generally were inscribed with primitive letters to record stories of a culture or census data.

The Library of Alexandria

• Built by Ptolemy the 2nd in 300 B.C.

• Said to contain more than 700,000 papyrus scrolls, encompassing all facets of human knowledge.

• Library destroyed in military conquests sometime between 48 B.C. and 642 A.D.

Evolution of Human Recorded thought through the Dark Ages: 476 to 1000 A.D.

Vellum

• A type of parchment made from cured animal skins, known for its flexibility and durability, used for making the pages of books.

Preservation of Knowledge during the Dark Ages

• Most knowledge preserved in the west was done in Churches.

The First Known Illustrated Manuscript

• “Vatican Vergil” 400 A.D.

The Illuminated Manuscript

• “Comments on the Psalms” 1200 A.D.

The Illuminated Manuscript

• Developed by the Celts,starting in roughly 400 A.D.

• Characterized by complex geometric designs and interwoven letters and graphics, designed to tell a story.

Two Methods of Manuscript Illumination, Part 1

• Diminuendo: a decreasing graphic scale leading from the large initial letter to the text.

“The Book of Durrow” A.D. 680

Two Methods of Manuscript Illumination, Part 2

• Initial Letter Form: First letter of each section is larger than the text.

• “Insular Secta”: Spaces between words.

“The Book of Kells, A.D. 794

Meanwhile, in Asia

• As early as 600-800 A.D., the Koreans and other Asian cultures were developing movable type.

One of the first complete intact works printed using movable type, “The Diamond Sutra”

Korea A.D. 868