Roman writing was entirely in upper case letters. Manuscripts from the 7th and 8th century AD are entirely in capital letters. But the common people, such as legionaries, by 100 AD wrote in a style that was easier to write by hand, and was similar to lower case script. This style was picked up by Celtic monks in Ireland, who wrote the first formal books using upper and lower case letters. Besides legionaries letters, the earliest writing using lower case was from the 7th century AD, in a text of Psalms called the Cathach of St. Columbia. This text was carried into battle as an inspiration to troops.
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