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In this episode, Naomi considers the impact of the first information crisis – the invention of writing. Before writing, she argues. ‘there was - in a real sense – no such thing as history’. The advent of writing enabled belief systems to flourish, brought into question old hierarchical structures, and sped up our culture forever. But did it also devalue shared memory, and traditional oral cultures, meaning societies came to value elderly people less?

Written and read by Naomi Alderman
Produced by Di Speirs.