US EditionWriting May Have Begun 40,000 Years Ago
Over 3,000 Paleolithic symbols on 260 artifacts show statistical patterns akin to early proto-cuneiform, suggesting symbolic encoding 40,000 years ago, researchers said.
- On Monday, research associate Ewa Dutkiewicz and linguist Christian Bentz published findings in PNAS on 40,000-year-old symbol sequences on artefacts from Germany's Swabian Jura.
- Between 43,000 and 34,000 years ago, artefacts made during the Aurignacian period by Homo sapiens were studied to test if repeated marks encoded information, building on 2023 research of cave art codes.
- Using computational tools, the team digitized over 3,000 signs in the dataset and applied entropy measures and quantitative linguistics, revealing frequent repetition and varied sign use across figurines and tools.
- Analysts found statistical parallels with proto-cuneiform, but researchers emphasise the marks do not represent spoken language and decoding remains exceptionally difficult without a Rosetta stone.
- The team says their approach could help analyze similar markings, as sign choices remained stable over roughly 40,000 years, indicating intergenerational transmission, with some artefacts showing rows of 12 or 13 dots suggesting calendric observations.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Lines, notches, dots or crosses – researchers reveal mysterious strings from objects of the Old Stone Age.
Drawings on objects more than 40,000 years old, long considered decoration, could represent an early form of recording information
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der Standard DEThe analysis of 3000 characters on 260 artifacts shows: Paleolithic sequences are statistically similar complex to early proto cuneiforms
There was a seed of a written language as early as 40,000 years ago. That is, around the same time as we humans arrived in Europe. This is according to German researchers who have analyzed the signs that our ancestors carved into mammoth bones and other materials.
A research duo has investigated finds from Swabian Ice Age caves – and analyzed striking sequences of signs. Is the team of the oldest writing of humanity on the trail?
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