ancient writing systems

A, B, C: The Hidden Logic of Alphabetical Order

We learn the alphabet as children, but have you ever wondered why the letters are in that specific order? The…

10 months ago

The Cognitive Boost of Reading Aloud

Reading is often seen as a silent act, but what if giving voice to the words on the page could…

10 months ago

The Birth of a Question Mark

The question mark seems like a fundamental part of writing, but it wasn't always there. This ubiquitous symbol of curiosity…

10 months ago

The Scytale: Sparta’s Rolling Cipher

Long before digital encryption, the ancient Spartans secured their military secrets with a simple but ingenious device: the Scytale. This…

10 months ago

The Acrostic’s Secret History

Hiding a message in plain sight is the art of steganography, and the acrostic is its most literary tool. From…

10 months ago

The Uncracked Minoan Code: Linear A

We can read the sounds of the ancient Minoan script, Linear A, but we have no idea what the words…

10 months ago

Glagolitic: The Lost Slavic Alphabet

Before the familiar Cyrillic script dominated Eastern Europe, there was another, more mysterious alphabet designed for the Slavic people. We…

10 months ago

The Little Star: A History of the Asterisk (*)

Look at your keyboard. Tucked above the number 8 is a symbol we see every day, yet rarely think about:…

10 months ago

The Emperor’s Alphabet: The Story of Phags-pa Script

In the 13th century, Kublai Khan commissioned a single, official script to unite the vast, multilingual Mongol Empire. The result…

10 months ago

The Singapore Stone’s Lost Story

Long before the British arrived, a massive inscribed stone stood guard at the Singapore River's mouth, holding the secrets of…

10 months ago

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