In Europe two sorts of handwriting came into being very early.
Cursive script was used for letters and records, while far more
polished writing styles, called uncials, were used for literary
works. Both styles can be seen in papyrus fragments from the 4th
cent. B.C. After the 1st cent. A.D. the development of the half
uncial or minuscule letter from the Roman capital gave rise to
an extraordinarily beautiful and long-lasting calligraphy. As
tools and materials of high quality came into use, masterpieces
of calligraphic art were produced, e.g., the Irish Book of Kells
(8th cent.; Trinity College, Dublin; see under Ceanannus Mór)
and the English Lindisfarne Gospels (8th cent.; British Mus.;
see Holy Island). Carolingian minuscule script and its splendid
and complex derivative, known as Gothic, were the principal
calligraphic styles from the 9th to the 14th cent. The
humanistic handwriting style of the Renaissance, a deliberate
imitation of Carolingian minuscule, was both aesthetically
pleasing and extremely leg