1370: Direction of Writing Sep 11, 2018

In the Western world, writing tends to be from left-to-right first, and then up-to-down, but when writing originated, it was up-to-down then right-to-left. All of this was due to the medium however, and the switches are not random. When writing was just beginning, it was primarily for keeping inventories, and so was written in a typical list-format still used today, and because tools needed to be pressed into clay, early writers—if the word even applies—would use the typically dominant hand. However, later on, to avoid smudging, the letters were rotated and written right-to-left to that impressions would not be smudged before they dried. Later on again, the Greek alphabet and all its descendants began to write from left-to-right to avoid further smudges as most people write with the right hand.
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