“…The monk blinked, trying to keep his tired eyes open in the flickering candlelight. Night was giving way to dawn, yet there was still so much to write… His weary fingers could barely move across the parchment anymore…”

These lines could easily be the opening of a mystical tale, perhaps something straight out of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. But my intention isn’t to spin you a story in that style. On the contrary: I’d like to draw your attention to a true scene from a medieval night, one that quite likely gave birth to the symbol we now use every single day: the humble “@” sign.

Some symbols quietly change the world. The @ symbol, the curly hero of our keyboards and the darling of the digital age, is one of them. It’s the inseparable companion of our emails, the connective tissue of social media, the unassuming star of our screens. Who would have guessed that this simple, plump little sign would come to shape the language of modern life? Yet the story of how @ stepped onto the stage of history is much older and far more delightful than you might imagine. Are you ready for a journey that spans from medieval monks to modern technology?

History takes us back to the 14th century, to a monastery cloaked in silence. Candlelight trembles; monks painstakingly copy sacred texts by hand. Yet there is a problem: the Latin word “ad”, meaning “at” or “toward,” appears so often in the texts that even the monks’ patience wears thin. Exhausted from long hours of work, these practical minds find a solution: they curl a little tail onto the letter “A”. According to legend, this is how the @ sign may have been born.

Is it a myth? Perhaps. But the inventive spirit of the Middle Ages offers us one of the most beautiful stories about the @ symbol. From the hands of monks, @ drifts on the salty breezes of the Mediterranean and, by the 16th century, finds a new life in the bustling world of commerce. “Amphora” a unit of measure for precious cargo like spices, wine, and olive oil becomes easier to jot down with the help of @, a clever shortcut favored by traders. But the story doesn’t end there.

By the 18th century, @ is showing up in price listings: “10 apples @ 5 pence” means ten apples, each costing five pence. Long before it was the star of the digital revolution, @ was already the emoji of the merchant’s world!

The names the @ symbol has collected on its journey around the world prove just how colorful it truly is. Every culture, it seems, sees this symbol through its own unique lens: In Swedish, it’s a “cinnamon bun”; in Russian, a “little dog”; in Dutch, a “monkey’s tail”; in Italian, a “snail”; and here in Türkiye, we affectionately call it the “Curly A!”

It’s clear that every culture added its own flavor to this little sign. But let’s be honest—our “Curly A” might just be the best of them all! And so, let’s keep swimming from the sea of history toward the present.

The year is 1971. Computer engineer Ray Tomlinson, working on the world’s first email system, needs a symbol to separate user names from servers. His eyes fall on the keyboard—and bingo! The @ sign, lying unused and unclaimed by any human name, becomes his chosen symbol. With that simple decision, digital communication is revolutionized. Ever since, @ has been the beating heart of every email address and the secret connective force of the modern age.

From the tired fingers of monks to the practicality of traders, from Ray Tomlinson’s vision to today’s social media tags, the @ symbol has always been simple yet utterly unique. Beneath its plump little shape lie stories of history, commerce, culture, and revolution.

Small things can make a big difference. What appears to be just another curly mark can, in fact, unite past and future. It’s the product of weary monastic hands, the Mediterranean breeze, and digital ingenuity all at once. With its story bridging centuries, @ remains a symbol that speaks of both history and possibility.

So next time you write an email or tag a friend online, don’t forget to wink at the @ symbol. For it is much more than a sign—it’s the emblem of a story that spans a thousand years!