After watching the EOTO presentations by my classmates about various communication technologies, I have learned new information about these technologies including their history and impact on the world. For example, I learned about the:
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| Petroglyph |
The petroglyph is an ancient form of communication and is one of the earliest in human history. They were used in ancient Egypt as well as many other places around the globe. They are carvings made into rock, stone, or clay that depict messages or scenes of some kind. I learned that they were likely created to record important information about the peoples' culture although it can't be said for certain.
It is interesting to me that they are primarily drawn with pictures and symbols rather than language. They probably didn't have any written language at this time. These symbols still carry meaning even for us trying to interpret them today. Apparently, many of the glyphs we have are damaged which makes sense given how long ago they were made.
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Postal Service
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The concept of hand delivered messages dates back all the way to 500 BCE. I had no idea about this. The Persian
King Darius was recorded to use relay riders as couriers on his Royal Road.
In the US, Ben Franklin became the first Postmaster General in 1775. The presentation mentioned that he created our first organized system for mail and letters. I'm surprised that it was before 1776.
Mail is clearly important for societies and I can understand why. It is a method to send information over long distances and using mail or courier systems was one of the only ways to do that before the internet. I particularly liked the point made that part of why mail systems are so helpful is because normal people can afford it.
Something I had never heard of before was the
1873 Comstock Act. Since the government controls the postal service, there have been instances where they abused it. This case was one such instance where Anthony Comstock, who was a man in control of the US Post Office, issued a ban of anything related to abortions from being sent in the mail including medications and other supplies.
These two presentations helped me realize the importance of older methods of communication for societies to grow and thrive. It shows how the need for effective communication is so important, that it is always solved in some way with whatever is available at the time.
