The first part of the study is based on historical genetics. It examines the issues of the page over a long period of time and places it within the evolution of a written culture. In light of this past, the second part offers an integrated view of functions whose sequence creates the possibility of a genesis: a manipulable material object – a medium at the interface of thought and trace – a unit that measures the writing stages – a space where words and graphics interfere with the production of meaning. The conclusion points to another dimension of history: the future.