Marcus Tullius Tiro

Marcus Tullius Tiro was a learned freedman in Cicero's household who invented the notae Tironianae in 63 BC. This was the first Latin shorthand system, known as Tironian notes, and it was used for over a thousand years. Shorthand, also called stenography, is a method of rapid writing using symbols or abbreviations for letters, words, or phrases. It allows for the quick recording of spoken words, such as in legislative bodies or court testimony. Tiro also compiled a shorthand dictionary. While shorthand became associated with witchcraft in the Middle Ages, interest was renewed by the 15th century, leading to the development of various systems throughout history.1