Evolution of Communication Methods:
– Human communication began with speech around 100,000 BCE.
– Symbols, such as cave paintings, emerged around 30,000 BCE, evolving into new forms of communication.
– Petroglyphs, carvings on rock surfaces, appeared around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, marking a significant advancement.
– Pictograms, representing concepts through illustrations, were widely used by ancient cultures globally around 6000-5000 BCE.
– Ideograms, graphical symbols representing ideas, evolved from pictograms, conveying more abstract concepts.
Development of Writing Systems:
– The oldest-known writing systems were logographic, combining pictographic and ideographic elements.
– Writing systems categorized into logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic forms emerged around the late Neolithic period.
– Egyptian hieroglyphs developed around 2700 BCE, with the Semitic alphabet influencing subsequent alphabets.
– The Greek alphabet evolved from the Semitic alphabet with modifications.
– Cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs were early examples of writing systems.
Oral Tradition and Storytelling:
– Oral communication through songs, poems, and chants has been a global tradition for spreading messages.
– Oral poets mastered storytelling, preserving history in nomadic tribes.
– Arabic nomads used oral tradition to pass down stories.
– Storytelling through oral communication played a vital role in preserving cultural heritage and passing down knowledge.
Advancements in Communication Technology:
– Ice-age Europeans used patterns on ivory, bone, and stone for timekeeping.
– Sumerians developed cuneiform, Egyptians hieroglyphics, and Phoenicians introduced an alphabet.
– Inventions like paper by Tsai Lun in 105 and the pencil by Nicolas-Jacques Conte in 1795 revolutionized communication.
– Printing technology milestones include wooden block movable type printing by the Chinese in 1305 and Gutenberg’s metal movable type printing press in 1440.
History of Telecommunication and Modern Communication:
– Telecommunication began with smoke signals and drums, evolving into fixed semaphore systems and electrical telecommunication in the 19th century.
– Roman Emperor Tiberius used metal mirrors for signaling, while Claude Chappe established the first long-distance semaphore telegraph line in 1792.
– Significant milestones include the development of mobile telephones in the 20th century and the advent of computers and the internet, leading to the creation of the World Wide Web in 1989.
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The history of communication technologies (media and appropriate inscription tools) have evolved in tandem with shifts in political and economic systems, and by extension, systems of power. Communication can range from very subtle processes of exchange to full conversations and mass communication. The history of communication itself can be traced back since the origin of speech circa 100,000 BCE. The use of technology in communication may be considered since the first use of symbols about 30,000 years BCE. Among the symbols used, there are cave paintings, petroglyphs, pictograms and ideograms. Writing was a major innovation, as well as printing technology and, more recently, telecommunications and the Internet.
