# What are Ordinals Inscriptions

**What are Bitcoin Ordinals?**\
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You said Bitcoin NFT ?  Nooo, Bitcoin Ordinals are Digital Artifacts'.\
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It's a way to inscribe digital content on the Bitcoin blockchain.\
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Ordinal Inscriptions are digital assets inscribed on a [satoshi](broken-reference), the lowest denomination of a BTC.\
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Inscribing on satoshis, named after the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, is possible thanks to the [Taproot](broken-reference) upgrade launched on the Bitcoin network on November 14, 2021.\
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In December 2022, Casey Rodarmor launched the Ordinals Protocol, allowing digital content like art, text, and videos to be inscribed on the Bitcoin blockchain. \
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The 1st ordinal - 'Genesis ordinal', is a pixel art skull that Rodarmor created on Dec 14, 2022 at 20:32:00 UTC.\


<figure><img src="https://615835444-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FzF6bMqSubDuYVK8WvoOt%2Fuploads%2FfjecSH9m9qKHVLsAdmFO%2F000.PNG?alt=media&#x26;token=1352742b-b6e1-4e75-a07c-0d60b3f27e43" alt=""><figcaption><p>Incription 0</p></figcaption></figure>

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This represents the initial significant advancement in the Bitcoin application layer, prompting a shift in the narrative from merely being a "store of value" to adopting a more practical and utilitarian role.\
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When Ordinals were introduced in January 2023, you couldn't mint, transfer or trade them without running your own Bitcoin Node.\
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Now there are several inscriptions services, markeplaces and wallets even with hardware support.\
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**Let's dive into this!**\


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