EOTO Communication Methods

 One communication method that has been around now for hundreds of years, is paper. We still use paper today, however, it does seems that we are moving towards a paperless society. I had very little trouble finding my research for the EOTO assignment. I ever learned that the original intended use for paper was not as a writing material but as a cheaper alternative to silk as a wrapping material for certain goods. This occurred in ancient china close to the rule of the Han dynasty, however, an exact date cannot be deduced as archaeological evidence of the papermaking process predates the generally credited inventor of paper, the eunuch, Cai Lun. The Chinese also invented the idea of toilet paper which was seen as a strange concept by foreigners who came to trade with the Chinese in the year 851. (This being 1000 years after the rule of the Emperor Wu of Han. Wu of Han. Wuhan. Then 1000 years after the invention of toilet paper, the Wuhan virus makes toilet paper nearly impossible to find. Coincidence? Most likely haha.)

(Illuminati Confirmed)

After the popularity of paper as a writing material increased a culture of appreciation for literature very quickly moved to this new technology which allowed for a more weather resistant and portable form of literature in the form of books. Later, during the Tang Dynasty China surpassed the Mediterranean nations to become the world's leading book producer.

The oldest known paper document in Europe is the Mozarab Missal of Silos from the 11th century, which is theorized to have been created using paper made in the Islamic part of the Iberian Peninsula. They used hemp and linen rags as a source of fiber. The first recorded paper mill in the Iberian Peninsula was in Xàtiva in 1056. Papermaking would later have reached Europe as early as 1085 in Toledo and was firmly established in Xàtiva, Spain by the mid 1100's. It is clear through preserved documentation that France had a paper mill by 1190, and by 1276 mills were established in Fabriano, Italy and in Treviso and other northern Italian towns by 1340. Papermaking would then spread further north, with evidence of paper being made in Troyes, France by 1348, in Holland sometime around the mid 1300's, in Mainz, Germany in 1320, and in Nuremberg by 1400. This was just about the time when the woodcut printmaking technique was transferred from fabric to paper in the old master print and popular prints. 

Click here for a paper documentary I found on Youtube.