Timeline of Systematic Data and the Development of Computable Knowledge
![Historical Timeline of Computable Knowledge: 0-1599 Historical Timeline of Computable Knowledge: 0-1599](/_next/static/images/002_HeaderGraphic_1IcQeknh.jpg)
![](/_next/static/images/Timeline_Tab2_3KXs5J5U.png)
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![The world's knowledge, with references](/_next/static/images/78_h_2OUiunkF.jpg)
78: Pliny
The world's knowledge, with references
Pliny creates an encyclopedia that claims to summarize all knowledge with references to its sources.
![Cataloging medicinal substances](/_next/static/images/80_h_BfHxZ5LE.jpg)
80: Pedanius Dioscorides
Cataloging medicinal substances
Pedanius Dioscorides produces De Materia Medica as a pharmacopeia covering herbal and other medicines.
![Arranging words](/_next/static/images/125_h_33UNgiFP.jpg)
![](/_next/static/images/125_h_33UNgiFP.jpg)
125: Philo of Byblos
Arranging words
Philo of Byblos compiles a dictionary of synonyms and makes the earliest known thesaurus.
![Formulas for the heavens](/_next/static/images/150_h_1MxbbLk0.jpg)
150: Ptolemy
Formulas for the heavens
Ptolemy's Almagest introduces epicycles to describe the detailed motion of planets.
![Classifying the body](/_next/static/images/200_h_315rrBe7.jpg)
200: Galen
Classifying the body
Galen organizes anatomy and physiology, defining many terms and concepts used today.
500
![Preserving written knowledge](/_next/static/images/550_h_3FIP0ECV.jpg)
550: Literary Monasticism
Preserving written knowledge
Cassiodorus founds a monastery devoted to copying, preserving, and translating classic texts, initiating the tradition of literary monasticism.
![Writing numbers using decimal digits](/_next/static/images/825_h_3rlHPn-t.jpg)
825: Hindu-Arabic Numerals
Writing numbers using decimal digits
Decimal place-value notation from India appears in Persian mathematician al-Khwarizmi's book on mathematical algorithms.
1000
![undefined](/_next/static/images/1086_h_2mZmBS0m.jpg)
1086: Domesday Book
William the Conqueror orders a detailed accounting of the land and livestock in England.
![undefined](/_next/static/images/1098_h_3h_yZRv7.jpg)
1098: Lingua Ignota
Hildegard of Bingen's creation of Lingua Ignota may be considered one of the earliest constructed languages, which used an alphabet of 23 letters.
![Indexing textual knowledge](/_next/static/images/1230_h_2wJCUIRY.jpg)
1230: Hugh of St Cher
Indexing textual knowledge
Hugh of St Cher and a team of 500 other monks create a concordance of The Bible.
1300
![Creating knowledge by combinations](/_next/static/images/1300_h_2qQTFmlO.jpg)
1300: Ramon Llull
Creating knowledge by combinations
Ramon Llull promotes a scheme for systematically creating knowledge from formal combinations of ideas.
![Making pictures of data](/_next/static/images/1350_h_3bQDO4Bt.jpg)
1350: Nicole Oresme
Making pictures of data
French philosopher Nicole Oresme introduces the notion of drawing graphs of values.
![Collecting the knowledge of a civilization](/_next/static/images/1403_h_2gNvgtCh.jpg)
1403: Yongle
Collecting the knowledge of a civilization
The Yongle Encyclopedia, assembled by 2,000 scholars, fills over 11,000 volumes with the collected knowledge of Chinese civilization.
![undefined](/_next/static/images/1450_h_2vJEpv7-.jpg)
![](/_next/static/images/1450_h_2vJEpv7-.jpg)
1450: Vatican Library
The papal archives become the Vatican Library, which is still operating today.
![Mass distribution of knowledge](/_next/static/images/1453_h_h4SbEmtG.jpg)
1453: Johannes Gutenberg
Mass distribution of knowledge
Moveable type makes it economical to print many kinds of documents.
![Recording life's events](/_next/static/images/1538_h_jIMTZomZ.jpg)
![](/_next/static/images/1538_h_jIMTZomZ.jpg)
1538: Parish Records
Recording life's events
Parishes in England keep weekly records of all christenings, marriages, and burials.
![undefined](/_next/static/images/1582_h_Hd-f5LhI.jpg)
1582: Gregorian Calendar
Pope Gregory XIII establishes the modern calendar, changing the leap year rule for years divisible by 100.
![undefined](/_next/static/images/1595_h_1SlaU_pY.jpg)
1595: Symbolic algebra
Franciscus Vieta writes mathematical formulas with letters as variables, using vowels for unknowns and consonants for parameters.