Communication through the Ages: From Speech to Smartphones

Reading texts or direct messages, communicating through speech or sign language, and viewing artwork are all among the many ways people share news, ideas, and feelings with one another. Communication and its technologies are what allow us to do that.

As ancient civilizations formed, people developed spoken and written languages and communication tools. They designed and improved alphabets and writing systems to record information, created paper from plants or animal skins, and invented tools such as block printing and the printing press to help copy books and other long texts faster. Whether coming up with new technologies or innovating existing ones, ancient peoples were always finding ways to better communicate with one another.

From finger painting to postal systems, find out how early societies created and innovated the technologies that led to modern communication tools.