ABSTRACT
History People have been communicating through visual imagery for
centuries. Before there were written words, there were pictographs,
cave paintings and hieroglyphics. Archeological discoveries suggest
that symbolic, iconic images used by the ancient Egyptians as a
form of written communication represent the oldest forms of writ-
ing. Ancient cultures in China, Mesopotamia and the Americas also
first used similar iconic systems before evolving native alphabets
and modern written language systems.