Chapter 1

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In this reading I learned about the history of visual communication. It started off very simplistic with markings on walls in the Paleolithic period to the Neolithic period. These markings were found in southern Africa and areas in France. The markings were made with charcoal and iron oxides. These drawings were very straightforward they were marking to communicate basic ideas visually, for example dots on a buffalo’s back represented where to throw a spear at him. The first forms of written records were found in the city of Uruk around 3100 BC. They were clay tablets that used “pictograph drawings” such as fingers representing numbers, they used these to records to keep track of taxes. The evolution of these tablets went many different ways from sideways writing to vertical writing. The tools used for writing also changed at this time to a pointed wedge to make more precise markings. Throughout time writing became even more advanced with the organization of religion, mathematics, history, law, medicine and astronomy, along with the beginning of poetry, myths, ect. Not to long after the first form of “printing” came through with the development of “Cylinder Seals” which were round tools used to roll over clay to mark the owners seal. These seals sometimes told a story or were a design, to own one of these seals showed higher status. Moving forward we started to read about the Egyptians. Egyptians communicated with hieroglyphics, for the longest time no one knew how to translate these hieroglyphics. Then in 1799 when Napoleons troops found a black slab (Rosetta Stone) with three languages; Egyptian hieroglyphics, Egyptian demotic script, and Greek. Then in 1819 Dr. Thomas Young proved that the direction in which the glyphs faced was the direction the glyphs read. Then in 1822 Jean-Francois Champollion made the breakthrough of translating the Rosetta Stone. The Egyptians also advanced writing another way with the development of “paper” with papyrus leaves that were mashed together to form a paper like material. The Egyptians continued to advance Visual Communication with such things as the first manuscripts which is the combination of writing and pictures.

2.I found the idea that the Mesopotamians developed the “Cylinder Seal” which was a status symbol as well as a trademark for a person. I found this interesting because there was a form of printing way before the printing press. Even though its not as effective as the actual printing press it was still a very interesting idea for the time being.

3. When exactly would they use the Cylinder press in real life? And in the reading when they said the owner of the house would put the seal on their door for thieves what did they mean by that? Did I read it wrong or what’s the deal with that?

*edit*

1.In this reading I learned about the history of visual communication. It started off very simplistic with markings on walls in the Paleolithic period to the Neolithic period. These markings were found in southern Africa and areas in France. The markings were made with charcoal and iron oxides. These drawings were very straightforward mostly they were marking to communicate basic ideas visually for example dots on a buffalo’s back represented where to throw a spear at him. The first forms of written records were found in the city of Uruk around 3100 BC they were clay tablets that used “pictograph drawings” such as fingers representing numbers they used these to records to keep track of taxes. The evolution of these tablets went many different ways from sideways writing to vertical writing. The tools used for writing also changed at this time to a pointed wedge to make more precise markings. Throughout time writing became even more advanced with the organization of religion, mathematics, history, law, medicine and astronomy. Along with the beginning of poetry, myths, ect. Not to long after the first form of “printing” came through with the development of “Cylinder Seals” which were round tools used to roll over clay to mark the owners seal. These seals sometimes told a story or were a design, to own one of these seals showed higher status. Moving forward we started to read about the Egyptians. Egyptian communicated with hieroglyphics for the longest time no one knew how to translate these hieroglyphics until 1799 when napoleons troops found a black slab (Rosetta Stone) with three languages egyptian hieroglyphics, egyptian demotic script, and Greek. Then in 1819 Dr. Thomas Young proved that the direction in which the glyphs faced was the direction the glyphs read. Then in 1822 Jean-Francois Champollion made the breakthrough of translating the Rosetta Stone. The Egyptians also advanced writing another way with the development of paper with papyrus leaves that were mashed together to form a paper like material. The egyptians continued to advance Visual Communication with such things as the first manuscripts which is the combination of writing and pictures. And they had a system of visual identification.

2.I found the idea that the Mesopotamians developed which was the “Cylinder Seal” which was a status symbol as well as a trademark for a person. And it was also a form of printing. I found this interesting because there was a form of printing way before the printing press. Even though its not as effective as the actual printing press it was still a very interesting idea for the time being.

3.When exactly would they use the Cylinder press in real life. And in the reading when they said the owner of the house would put the seal on their door for thieves what did they mean by that? Did I read it wrong or whats the deal with that?