Writing and languages in prehistoric era in Asia minor

In this work, the journey of writing, which emerged practically as a result of calculations made to make life easier, has been discussed. The timeline ranging from the drawings of the ancient people on cave walls to letters in modern Latin alphabet has been examined. Writing is not created in one day. A long, slow and deep history has been created. If cave drawings are considered to be first steps towards writing, the history of writing can be perceived to be as long as the history of men. In prehistoric ages, men has created ways for calculation, recording and communication. These were consisting of materials like message sticks and staffs, knot technique called quippu and pebbles. Later, these pebbles that men used have been seated into boxes and frames, transforming into abacuses which are still used widely from East to West. Sumerians took the last step to pass onto writing circa 3200 B.C. . Writing, having pictographic characteristics in this period, later gained cuneatic features. When cuneiform passing from place to place, nations added features from their cultures. This journey of writing's was not made over places only. Writing was, at the same time, was being carried from stone to papyrus, then from papyrus to paper. In the process in which it was carried into paper from stone, appearance and from of writing changed as well. When it raised straightly and vertically on stone, it became round on paper. As writing varied according to place, it also varied according to material that was used. As well as material directed writing, it was also important for its permanence and durability. Some languages and scripts have not been able to stand up to destructive effects of time or they prevailed to survive with a few small fragments. Writing showing up with its pictographic characteristics preserved this feature in Egypt and could stay in hieroglyphic writing form. Around 3000 B.C. hieroglyphics still relied on painting tradition. As a result, it was different from cuneiform. Since pictographs that was used were too troublesome for daily use, this writing form soon developed into three variant which are hieratic, demotic and Coptic. This is a fine example for how writing changes according to needs and conditions. Writing evolved into cuneiform as it could not keep its pictographic characteristic in Mesopotamia and completed its evolution in this form. In Anatolia, it continued its development both in cuneiform and hieroglyphic form. Around 1200 B.C. Ugaritic cuneiform was forgot after disturbances caused by the great migrations of the Sea People. Fore-Canaan (Ön-Kenan) cuneiform did not get lost; it changed, developed and was standardized by simplifying. This script became the alphabet of the Phoenicians, which did not have consonants, around 1000 B.C. . This alphabet which was passed to Greeks via trade around 800 B.C. was adjusted to Greek language. Travelling from east west, this alphabet later spread to the east again, this time in Greek alphabet form. Afterwards, Greek alphabet would result in Latin alphabet. In short, almost all alphabets used today are the grandchildren of Phoenician alphabet in one way or another. Keywords 1. Calculation Stones 2. Pictography 3. Ideogram 4. Cuneiform 5. Hieroglyphic Writing 6. Hieratic Writing 7. Demotic Writing 8. Phoenician Alphabet 9. Latin Alphabet