The Evolution of Databases: A Historical Deep Dive — Part 1: Database Origins: From Ancient Libraries to Digital Records
When we developed Morph, a no-code tool for data management, we fell down a bit of a rabbithole with the history of how we deal with data.
We thought it would make an interesting series here on the blog, so allow us to present part 1 on the history of databases!
Database Origins: From Clay Tablets to Handwritten Records
Today, databases support our daily lives and businesses as sophisticated systems that provide instant access to a wide range of information. However, the origins of this concept are surprisingly distant, dating back to ancient times. This article explores the early history of databases, from ancient records to the age of handwritten records.
Ancient “Databases”
Even in ancient civilizations, the storage and management of information was of great importance.
In ancient Mesopotamia, business transactions and historical events were recorded on clay tablets in cuneiform script. These clay tablets were burned in fire, which enhanced their preservation and allowed them to retain information for thousands of years.
One of the earliest known examples of mass data-gathering was the Library of Alexandria in the 3rd century BC. This library was the center of knowledge and information in the world at that time, with a collection of hundreds of thousands of papyrus scrolls. Such a repository of knowledge is truly a database of antiquity.
Handwritten Copies
In medieval Europe, monasteries and monastic libraries were centers of knowledge. In these places, monks transcribed and reproduced books by hand, one at a time. In larger monasteries this was often done in a manner similar to an assembly line, with different monks responsible for different tasks.
However, these handwritten books were very expensive and owned only by a few people, within the church and nobility. This made it difficult for the masses to access the information, and the circulation of information was very limited.
The Beginning of Mechanical Data Recording
From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, technological advances and the Industrial Revolution brought about major changes in how information was managed. In particular, the beginning of mechanical recording of data led to greater efficiency in information processing.
Punch cards are symbolic of this revolution. This was a method of physically recording information as holes on a card, with the data represented by the position and number of each hole. In particular, the U.S. Census Bureau introduced punch cards in the 1890 census, which made it possible to process large amounts of data quickly.
The Tabulating Machine, the first calculator to use these cards, was also developed. This allowed machines to take over manual calculations and data processing, further increasing efficiency.
This period marked a major turning point in the history of information technology, from manual to machine. People began to realize the importance of not only storing information in physical form but also using machines to process that information efficiently.
And so the era progressed toward electronic records. We will examine this development in part 2 of this article.
