# What is the oldest surviving handwriting that can be attributed to an individual person?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-oldest-surviving-handwriting-that-can-be-attributed-to-an-individual-person/646279>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 6, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-oldest-surviving-handwriting-that-can-be-attributed-to-an-individual-person/646279 "2013-01-06T19:41:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-oldest-surviving-handwriting-that-can-be-attributed-to-an-individual-person/646279/41 "2013-01-12T08:39:48Z")

</div>

> [@Superhal](#):
>
> Wow, this might be the start of a new thread, but:
> 
> Why would the Guiness Book of World Records not be considered a reliable source?

They do not verify their information with preexisting data, they include anything that’s submitted to them including a lot of stuff which was done for no reason other than to enter the GBWR… An example of something which isn’t very difficult to prove wrong: the person they list as the youngest king in history was 14 when he got the throne, but there have been child kings in several countries. The youngest I can think of was minus four months of age when he inherited (Alfonso XIII of Spain).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-oldest-surviving-handwriting-that-can-be-attributed-to-an-individual-person/646279/42 "2013-01-13T03:40:08Z")

</div>

> [@Leo\_Bloom](#):
>
> I’d just like to point out that Guinness should not be taken as definitive citation, particularly for this type of datum. It’s better than “the Internet,” but still.

Especially if you have been drinking it.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-oldest-surviving-handwriting-that-can-be-attributed-to-an-individual-person/646279.md?page=2)