The @ symbol has an unexpected connection to ancient Greek pottery, with part of its long history tied to the amphora, a two-handled vessel used across the ancient Mediterranean. Long before the character became essential to email addresses and social media, amphorae were used to store goods such as wine and oil and also served as measures in trade.
The story reaches back more than 3,000 years to Mycenaean Greece, where forms of the Greek word for amphora appear in records written in Linear B. Ancient Greeks later used amphorae as standardized containers and measures of capacity, strengthening their role in commerce across the Mediterranean.
Centuries later, merchants and scribes developed abbreviations for quantities and measurements. One historical account links the curled form of @ to an abbreviation for “amphora,” connecting the commercial mark with the ancient vessel that had long been associated with trade.
How the @ symbol connects to ancient Greek pottery
Other early versions of the familiar shape also survive in medieval records. The Manasses Chronicle, a Bulgarian manuscript generally dated to 1344-1345, contains an @-like character in the word “Amen.” A French document from 1391 includes another similar form, showing that the distinctive curled shape was already appearing in European handwriting.
By the 15th century, closely related symbols had entered commercial records in Aragon. Documents from the 1440s used an @-like mark for the “arroba,” a traditional measure of weight or capacity.
The Spanish word comes through Arabic from a term meaning “quarter,” reflecting another Mediterranean measurement tradition that became associated with the symbol.
A better-known example appeared in 1536, when Florentine merchant Francesco Lapi used an @-shaped mark in a letter from Seville discussing the price of wine. The sign has been interpreted as representing a commercial measure, including accounts that connect it with the “amphora” and others that identify it with the “arroba.”
From Mediterranean trade to the digital age
Over time, @ developed into a standard commercial sign meaning “at the rate of.” Accountants could use it in expressions showing the price of individual goods, a practical role that helped the character survive on business typewriters and later computer keyboards.
By 1969, the ASCII computer standard listed the character as “Commercial At.” In 1971, computer engineer Ray Tomlinson gave it a new purpose while developing networked email on ARPANET. He placed @ between a user name and the computer hosting the account, creating the familiar address structure that remains in use.
The symbol gained another role with social media. Twitter users began placing @ before account names to address or mention other people, and the platform later built the practice into its system.
From ancient measures and merchant records to email and online identities, @ carries traces of thousands of years of trade, writing and communication.
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