Ancient Advertising Roots
In fact, using messages to sway the public began long before the new world was even discovered. Ancient Greeks and Romans used to advertise for their lost and found items on papyrus. I'm not sure what kind of items those might have been, perhaps they needed to locate their togas after the orgy or couldn't remember where they parked the chariot. It matters not. What's important here is that they were issuing advertisements long before today's internet advertising ever existed. We're going for history, here. If you have a chance to rifle through the ruins in ancient Arabia or Pompeii, you'll find signs promoting politicians and commerce of the day. Somehow, it doesn't surprise me that political messages were among the first developed ads. Okay, you thought those first two examples were old? Well, hang onto your hat because we're going back even farther in time. A visit to South America, Asia or South Africa will afford you evidence of the very first advertisements of humankind. Wall paintings depicting sales and commerce messages still exist today. If you happen to visit those countries, it would probably be worth taking the time to see them yourself. Since the wall painting promotions are dated way back to 4000 BCE (Before the Common Era), I think it safe to say that they are the most durable billboards every made.
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