Imagine a symbol with so much power that it has bridged national, cultural, and linguistic barriers across thousands of years. That symbol is the @ sign, also known as “little mouse” in Taiwan, “dog” in Russian, or “monkey’s tail” in Dutch. But where did this ubiquitous mark come from?
The story begins with ancient Greece, where a style of clay pot called an amphora was used to store wine and grains. Merchants would communicate the quantity of amphoras by writing “amphor[a]” without the rest of the letters. Over time, people started drawing an “@” symbol with a long tail around it.
Fast-forward to 1536, when Francesco Lapi, a merchant from Seville, wrote a letter using the “@” symbol to denote an amphora of wine. This is the first recorded use of the @ sign in its modern sense.
The @ sign continued to evolve over time, becoming essential in business and accounting processes. It was included in early typewriters and later became a crucial part of computer keyboards.
In 1971, Ray Tomlinson, a computer scientist, adopted the @ symbol for his email address, sending the first-ever email. Today, the @ sign is used worldwide, with different names for it depending on the language.
Research shows that the @ sign has become an integral part of our online identity, forcing us to create unique usernames and think about how we present ourselves online. It’s a symbol that has bridged cultures and languages, making it a fascinating story worth exploring.
The MoMA exhibition Pirouette: Turning Points in Design offers a chance to appreciate the @ sign in a new light, thousands of years after its origins. The symbol is currently on display at MoMA until November 15, 2025.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250923-the-3000-year-old-story-hidden-in-your-keyboard