Writing: Cave Paintings to Printing Presses

From man’s early attempts at communication by painting on cave walls to the variety of alphabets in use throughout the world today, the key points of the development of writing, which parallel the development of civilization, are presented in this collection’s broadsheets and hands-on documents. Students will find the map of language and alphabet development especially informative and intriguing. This portfolio includes Reproducible Student Activities, which offer vocabulary, writing, research, and creative thinking exercises, as well as a teacher's response key. A timeline of important dates gives students a full view of the development of writing. 5 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * Cavemen Painting and Picture Writing * Sumerian and Egyptian Writing * The Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans * Illuminations, Books, and Paper * The Impact of the Printing Press 12 Primary Source Documents: * Map showing areas where different scripts arose * Sumerian “medical” tablet * The Rosetta Stone from Egypt * Details from the tomb of Thethi, an Egyptian courtier * A Greek letter on papyrus * Malpas diploma, awarded to a Roman soldier * Page from the Luttrell Psalter * Page from "The Pen's Excellencie: or the Secretaries Delight," 1618 * Page from " Webb’s Useful Penmanship," 1796 * Page from John Langton’s "A New Copy Book of the Small Italian Hand," 1727 * Page from Edward Daniel Riches' Copy Book, 1840 * Poster: Other types of writing; Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, Gujarati (Indian), and Russian