Smoke+Signals

Early Communication



The smoke signal is one of the oldest forms of communication in recorded history. It is a form of visual communication used over long distance.

In Ancient China, soldiers stationed along the Great Wall would alert each other of impending enemy attack by signaling from tower to tower. In this way, they were able to transmit a message as far away as 750 kilometers (470 mi) in just a few hours.

Polybius, a Greek historian, came up with a more complex system of alphabetical smoke signals around 150 BC. He invented a system of converting Greek alphabetic characters into numeric characters. It was devised to enable messages to be easily signaled by holding sets of torches in pairs. This idea, known as the "Polybius square", also lends itself to cryptography and steganography. This cryptographic concept has been used with Japanese Hiragana and the Germans in the later years of the First World War.



The North American Indians also communicated via smoke signal. Each tribe had their own signaling system and understanding. A signaler started a fire on an elevation typically using damp grass, which would cause a column of smoke to rise. The grass would be taken off as it dried and another bundle would be placed on the fire. Reputedly the location of the smoke along the incline conveyed a meaning. If it came from half way up the hill, this would signify all was well, but from the top of the hill it would signify danger.

Smoke signals are still in use today. In Rome, the College of Cardinals uses smoke signals to indicate the selection of a new Pope. Eligible cardinals conduct a secret ballot until someone receives a vote of two-thirds plus one. The ballots are burned after each vote. Black smoke indicates a failed ballot; white smoke means a new Pope has been elected.

In general smoke signals are used to transmit news, signal danger, or gather people to a common area.

Answer questions Use CSRQ
 * 1) What is one of the oldest modes of long distance communication?
 * 2) What are some of the ancient cultures that have used smoke signals for long distance communication?
 * 3) How far could a signal be sent in a few hours?
 * 4) Who invented a system of alphabetic to numeric code for smoke signals?
 * 5) What is his system known as?
 * 6) What other systems developed from his system?
 * 7) What are the three primary uses of smoke signals?
 * 8) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 200%;">How are smoke signal used today? What do the signals mean?