ABSTRACT
As Homo sapiens developed language, and then as oral cultures transitioned into literate cultures, the cognitive abilities of humans changed. Oral cultures primarily use language and art to create meaningful stories called myths. Once written texts were developed, they served primarily as a physical adjunct to oral recitation and a cypher to aid memory. As books became the authoritative record of sacred teachings or social practices, new institutions developed to authenticate, annotate, and preserve these books, which included the development of new standards of truth to interpret the meaning of texts.
