The first spreadsheets existed 4,600 years ago
During the reign of Khufu in Egypt nearly 5,000 years ago, spreadsheets written on papyrus or engraved in limestone were used as the ancient reporting solution. Ancients administrators were extremely organized, keeping up-to-date, highly structured documentation of their projects.
Archeologists from the University Paris-Sorbonne and the French Institute in Cairo discovered an ancient harbor complex on the Red Sea coast at Wadi al-Jarf in 2008. At the time, it was one of the most complete and oldest port sites discovered in the world. In the excavation, they discovered extremely detailed tabulated records – some spanning 50cm long – related to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the sailing routes of ancient Egypt, and the logistics of delivering food to and supplies to wharf workers.
What did these ancient spreadsheets look like, and who wrote them? The most notable document was a personal logbook by a middle ranking official, an inspector called Merer. The Diary of Merer contains a detailed daily account, spanning several months, of the activities involved in the construction of the Great Pyramid. It is organized as a timetable with months and seasons going across the top and two columns per day.
