Pictography

Pictography was the second stage of written language development after writing with the help of objects and things. This method is based on the images or pictograms. The birth of arts took place during the times of prehistoric people before the appearance of states. But these early attempts didn't reach the level of instrument used regularly for the information transmission.

The essence of pictography was that special sign that meant special notion. For example the word "person" can be transmitted through the picture of the person. But with the lapse of time pictograms were simplified until their origins were forgotten and received the additional meanings.

But pictography couldn't satisfy needs of written language that appeared with the development of notions and abstract thinking. And then the ideography appears that is writing with notions. It was destined to write down something that doesn't have the visual image. For example, to write down the notion "vigilance" that can't be drawn people used the organ through which the notion was reflected that is the eye. In such way the picture of an eye meant the eye in pictography and vigilance in ideography. Therefore the picture could have both the direct and figurative sense. Later these two kinds of writing also developed. Nowadays pictography and ideography present an interesting field for investigations as some drawings of ancient people may tell humanity a lot about its history and evolution describing the main points in abstract thinking.