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.
Michael Woods is a science and medical writer whose nationally syndicated newspaper stories and columns have won numerous national awards. He directs a program at the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, to inform the public about science. He and his wife, Mary B. Woods, have written almost forty books together. Michael is the writer, and Mary is the researcher.
Mary B. Woods is an elementary school librarian in the Fairfax County (VA) Public School system. She has presented at international librarians' conferences. Mary has worked with her husband, Michael Woods, to write almost forty books. She is the researcher, and Michael is the writer.