The development of written documents in the territory of present-day Slovenia was not even. The littoral part under Istria, which has preserved the antique tradition and continuity of antique institutions with towns controlled by dioceses, has a rich tradition. It was based on the institution of notaries public. In Istria, the first medieval traces of the use of written documents that sealed legal transactions originated in the period of the Byzantine rule, and are well documented in later periods as well. Very different was the situation in the central part of the territory, where by the end of the 11th century there were but first attempts at using written documents. These were mainly in the form of traditional notices of the Brixen diocese from the second half of the 11th century. There are indications that the notices had been based on genuine written documents with locals as tradents.