Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-01-05
FIRST ADVERTISING
1t Was Done In Egypt, on Papy-
rus, Thirty Centuries Ago.
ANCIENT PUBLICITY DEVICES.
The Greeks Used Town Criers and Mu-
sic, and Then Came Symbols and
~Signboards - The Revolution That
Accompanied the Art of Printing.

sic, and Then Came Symbols and
Signboards - The Revolution That
Accompanied the Art of Printing.
The Egyptian gentleman who sought
a runaway slave 5000 years & and
advertised on a bit of papyrus for his
recovery turned out the first piece of
advertising copy.
Whoever he was, he was a genius in
more than a small way. His copy still
lives, preserved in the British museum
as an exhibit of considerable archaeo-
logical Importance and as an example
of what our advertising experts Of to-
day would do If they, like the Egyp-
tian, did not have the benefit of up to
date information.
The Egyptians knew nothing about
the topography of advertising nor the
effect Of different colors. He didn't
know, for instance, that red is the
most effective eye catching color and
that green is second and black third.
OF these and a thousand other things
that influence the character of present
day advertisements he was totally In
ignorance. But he gets full credit for
making the first attempt at a written
advertisement.
The Greeks, with a fine regard for
art, usually made music a part of the
advertising program. They gave US
the idea Of employing bands to attract
attention, undoubtedly one of the most
successful methods of drawing a crowd
at any place and time.
At first a town crier, accompanied
by a musician playing a Tyre or a
harp, mingled among the Greek peo-
pies and used only the best and choic-
est Greek In his e%xtravagant praises
of the product he was exploiting. Lat
er, however, private advertisements In
writing began to be introduced, par
ticularly Oh the whitened walls of the
homes, giving some information re-
garding the social standing and the
age of the residents, their financial rat
ing and the family lineage.
The Romans advertised In many
ways. They named their streets, adj
yertised shows, exhibitions and sales
OA LAO IClId COlld wallis VI puUIC
baths, acquainted the public with sales
of estates and absconded debtors and
began the practice of notifying the
Romans of articles lost and found and
houses for sale or rent.
The Romans are commonly credited
with the origin of the sign board. To
day we have the bulletin board, which
.-krIsnGnnrdc 10 thu DaD,nn Anhn11o
TO. I'D In the ruins of Pompeii and
H~ercui@neum, where public
ments were made.
Advertising met the same fate as the
Romans did when the Huns came
sweeping down from the north. Until
the middle ages very little of it is
seen. But with the appearance again
Of the town crier, supplied with the
customary long winded declarations
and a choice supply Of adjectives, adj
vertising began to make itself felt in
the conduct of business affairs. The
public criers began to organize them
selves both in France and in England,
and they were persons with consider
able prestige.
SJAh6 WV LIZ OhPCAiOA 4oAlA
ties Of merchandise and all kinds of
goods and wares the crier soon began
to make announcement of things lost
and found, of sales, weddings, chris
Jennings and other interesting events.
Gradually as time went on inns be-
gan to use distinctive signs and SYM
bols to mark their hostelries, just as
individuals had employed coats of
arms. All kinds of devices were used
and are still used by inns to the pres
ent day. All such signs as the blue
anchor, the black dragon, the three
tuns, the boar's head, the red lion, and
6 on, made definite representations
and implications.
OF course with the development Of
the printing press advertising took a
great squirt. The use of posters came
into vogue, and all kinds of pamphlets
were printed and distributed. Printing
gradually began to supersede the hand
written manuscript William Caxton
set up his press in Westminster abbey
In 1471, and two centuries later, in
1922, a newspaper, believed to be the
first real newspaper, was printed. 1t
was called the Weekly News and pur-
ported to contain news of doings in
Germany, France, Hungary and Bohe-
mia.
From then on newspapers, mostly
weekly publications, began to appear
from time to time in increasing mum
bers. Advertisements of medicines be-
gan to be inserted in the newspapers
at an early date. The insertion of the
first real newspaper advertisements,
however, is credited to Nathaniel But
Ter, who advertised books.
The first two magazines to carry adj
vertisements were Godey's Lady Book
and Peterson's, but it was not until
1901 4La4 ..aSa.i.a ad=as4is.aS sssll