early communication | types of signs | trade + development | writing + the alphabet | monumentalism
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      ancient rome

        Roman conquest of Greece
        scholars + libraries move to Rome
        influx of literature, art + religion

      letterforms
      various different scripts/letterforms developed based on 

      1   place [ public vs private ]
      2   purpose
           speed, longevity
      3   substrate 
           marble, papyrus, wax, vellum
      4   regional aesthetic

      		 capitalis quadrata 

      squared forms
      began with stone cutting
      signifying permanence
      geometric properties
      stroke variations > from chisel
         and pen
      first painted with brush, red ink, then 
         chiseled
       

      		 capitalis rustica 

      condensed
      increased economy
          more marks on a page
      decreased legibility
       
      no punctuation invented
         writing to record speech, not to
         imitate, substandard copy
      all majuscule forms (upper case)
      one alphabet
      no ascenders or descenders
       
      		Trajan’s column