How are written manuscripts so different than the Western?

Question

I heard Hebrew and Japanese were written backwards? I would like to know more. What other cultures are similar?

Answer 1

Hebrew and Arabic are written right to left, which is not backwards to them, only us. Japanese and Chinese, if I recall correctly, are written top to bottom, and the columns are right to left (I'm pretty sure).

A bit of trivia for you: At one time, ancient cultures like Greek wrote their manuscripts first left to right, then right to left on the next line, then left to right on the next line, and so on. I've forgotten the technical name for this (it begins 'buce...'), but it translates as 'as the ox plows', because people tilled their fields by going back and forth, much as we do with a lawn mower today. (Things don't change much, do they? )