The Evolution of Encryption
700 BC - Sparta
Dating somewhere around 700 BC is the first recorded use of a Scytale, a baton used for coding and decoding. A piece of paper is first twisted around the baton, and the code written. The paper is then removed and sent off, without the baton, to the recipiant. The receiver then rolls the paper back around their baton, which must be the same size and diameter as the original. When this is done the coded text is legiable.
Around this time period documented cases of steganography are common. This was practiced on slaves, who had their heads first shaved, then a coded message tattooed on them. Their hair would then grow back, concealing the message.
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