What Is the Purpose of a Letter?

By Staff Writer | Last Updated August 4, 2015

Letters were first used as a form of communication. With technology improvements, however, it has become a less popular way for people to communicate.

For thousands of years, letters were used as a form of communication between people who lived apart from family and friends. The first handwritten letter can be traced back to 500 B.C. by Persian Queen Atossa, daughter of Syrus.

Since letters were first written using leaves and bark, this practice of communication has evolved quite a bit. Handwritten letters and postcards are still a popular form of communication, but it has been overshadowed by digital advances that enable people to communicate quicker, such as text messages and social media networks.