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   Craig P (craigp@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 19-Sep-2024 21:13:21 JST Craig P

   When we look at ancient languages evolve from strict pictographs into symbols, why do ALL the letters turn sideways?

   What random-ass thing makes everyone turn their letters 90 degrees? Who would think "yeah, a field of barley, clearly that makes more sense with the barley growing sideways instead of up."

   I don't think they suddenly changed from writing vertical to horizontal or anything. I don't get it.

   • Embed this notice
     silverwizard (silverwizard@convenient.email)'s status on Thursday, 19-Sep-2024 21:13:21 JST silverwizard

     in reply to
     @Craigp apparently it has to do with how it's comfortable to write on a clay tablet
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     silverwizard (silverwizard@convenient.email)'s status on Thursday, 19-Sep-2024 22:01:05 JST silverwizard

     in reply to

     @Craigp youtube.com/watch?v=qbCniw-BcW…

     Lots of my info is from this talk (and talking about letter history with my 5 year old and doing deep dives), but as I understand, clay tablets you wrote sideways, and then paper/papyrus you wrote like we do, and that transfer caused the flip.

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     Craig P (craigp@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 19-Sep-2024 22:01:06 JST Craig P

     in reply to

     • silverwizard

     @silverwizard But ALL the symbols rotated. Is it that they started to write sideways or something?