Yes, although it may seem incredible. More than 40,000 years ago, our first ancestors were already engraving signs on tools and sculptures. So says a new analysis from the University of Saarland and the Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Berlin. The findings are in the journal 'PNAS'. The sign sequences have the same level of complexity as the oldest protocuneiform writing. This arose tens of thousands of years later, around 3,000 BC. C. They examined more than 3,000 signs found on 260 objects.
Recording information
They are paleolithic objects that date back to between 34,000 and 45,000 years. They feature mysterious sequences of signs: often repeated lines, notches, dots and crosses. Many of these artifacts were discovered in caves in the Swabian Jura. A Stone Age human carved the mammoth figurine from a mammoth tusk and carefully engraved it with rows of crosses and dots.
Other artifacts found in the Swabian Alb are also engraved with signs. An ivory plaque, another mythical representation of a hybrid between human and lion. They have notches placed at regular intervals along the arm.
These findings prove that these brands exist for a reason. Stone Age humans used them to transmit information and record their thoughts. The artifacts date back tens of thousands of years before the first writing systems. It is the time when Homo sapiens left Africa, settled in Europe and met the Neanderthals.
Repeated signs
The meaning has not yet been deciphered. They are investigating frequency trends and the tangible, measurable aspects of the signs. These sequences of signs have nothing to do with current writing systems. The signs of archaeological objects are frequently repeated: cross, cross, cross, line, line, line. This type of repetition is not a feature of spoken language. But it is the precursor of written language.
Paleolithic hunter-gatherers developed a system of symbols with an information density statistically comparable to that of the first protocuneiform tablets of ancient Mesopotamia. The wonderful thing is that they did it 40,000 years before.
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