The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword

We do it pretty much every day, but take it for granted: WRITING.

Writing is one of the most powerful tools we have as human beings. It enables us to permanently record thoughts, ideas and feelings without someone else being present.

We can use writing as an aid if we have a poor memory. And we can communicate with people who have not even been born by keeping historical records.

Some ancient peoples believed writing was a gift from the gods. Many ancient Egyptians believed it was a creation of the god Thoth. The origins of writing are largely unknown. Methods of writing developed independently all over the globe.

The earliest we know of were developed in Iraq around 5,000 years ago.

But other scripts were invented in India, Egypt, China and Central America. These forms of writing look completely different, but they perform the same basic function: they are all a visual means of recording language.

Chinese is the oldest type of writing in use today and dates back 4,000 years.