Communication has been around us since the beginning of human kind, not only with speech or body

gestures but through images and symbols.

Over the progression of time, mankind has developed ways to communicate through imagery and these
images have been categorized based on how they were made.

Petroglyphs
These are representational images that have been carved from rocks.
These are made by pecking away at the surface of the rock with a
chisel and hammer until the inner layer is exposed leaving a lighter
coloured rock underneath. These petroglyphs were made by the
ancestors of the Pueblo Indians around 500 A.D.


Hieroglyphics
These are symbols used by the ancient Egyptians during 3200BC as a means of
communication as a writing system. These hieroglyphics combined alphabetic
and logographic elements. The Egyptians used to different versions of this
writing system. This included a cursive one for religious literature which was
done on papyrus and wood and another version was used more formally but
these are technically not hieroglyphs.


Ideograms

These are graphical symbols to represent an idea, concept or activity directly
instead of a word or speech. The word idogram is from Greek origin which is
translated as idea (ideo) to write (gram)
Chinese Letters
Hieroglyphics on pyramid
wall
Petroglyphs on a stone wall
Pictographs
A pictograph or pictogram is an ideogram that conveys its meaning
through a resemblance to an object. Pictograms are commonly used in
writing and graphics. These were in very ancient times by the by a wide
verity civilizations. In modern times pictograms are used heavily as icons
in maps and digital devices.


Alphabets
An alphabet is a standard set of letters used in a language used to write
and contains vowels and consonants. The Greek alphabet was the first
alphabet to be used which is called the Phoenician alphabet.


Qoph
This is the 19
th
letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The origin of the Qoph is unknown but it
research shows that it seems to have a relation to a sewing needle or a hole.









Mayan pictograms
The English alphabet
The Qoph
The Armenian script is one of many alphabets. It was introduced in the year 405 by Saint Mesrop
Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader. Another alphabet is the Greek Alphabet. It was
in use since the 8
th
century and used to write the Greek Language. The Greeek alphabet was derived
from the Phoenician alphabet, which began in 150 BCE and dies out during the Hellenistic period.


Most used alphabet in the west
Out of the many alphabets that exist, in the western part of the world, the Latin alphabet is the standard
of today. Many of the western alphabets are derived from the Latin alphabet, one such alphabet is the
English alphabet.
Ideogrammatic codes are easy to understand and see and arent bound by any language barriers.
Although it is easy to see and understand it can also be easy to get confused with them, also prior
knowledge to the graphical elements in they need to be known beforehand.
With Alphabetic codes, its advantage is that it is universal for the language of who uses it, however the
meanings of the codes require training to understand.

In these modern times, communication tools use a combination of
pictographic, ideogrammatic and alphabetic codes. These tools are the
computer and cell phones.





There are some civilizations in this day that uses an ideogrammatic code for
their primary communication. The Japaneses written language called Kanji is
one of those.



Al written languages had to be in some way recorded. In ancient times, mankind used rock and stone
surfaces to write and make markings on. During the progression of time papyrus paper were invented.
Although similar, they are very different.
The difference between paper and papyrus is their material composition. Paper is a writing material that
is made of cellulose pulp that comes from grasses, rags and wood. On the other hand, papyrus is also a
writing material that is made of Cyperus papyrus that is derived from the papyrus plant.

Paper Papyrus






Japanese Kanji
Before paper was invented, humans wrote on a variety of surfaces. These included:

Bark, this is from the outer layer from the trunk of a tree, knives
and berries were used to write on the bark.





Stone, writings on stone were done on slabs called
tablets or on the surface of a stone wall by chipping
away at the outer layer. Animal blood, berries and
chiseling away at the surface were used to create marks.




Clay was used in a very similar fashion to stone in terms of tablets. A stylus
(reed pen) was used to create marks on this surface.



Reed Pen
Tree bark with writting
Clay tablet

Vellum, material made from a calf, a quill pen (made from a
birds feather) was the tool used to write on this surface.





Bamboo slips were common in the east part of the world, a writing brush and
ink was used to make marks.
Vellum in Medieval times
Bamboo Slits