Symbols found carved into 40,000-year-old German artifacts may be precursor to writing
CNN • • world
Key Points:
- Analysis of over 260 Stone Age artifacts from Germany reveals symbols carved more than 40,000 years ago that may represent an early form of writing, comparable in complexity to proto-cuneiform script from ancient Mesopotamia.
- The markings, consisting of geometric signs like crosses, dots, and lines, were found on tools and figurines depicting animals and human-animal hybrids, suggesting symbolic communication with potential ritual or cultural significance.
- Researchers used computer-assisted methods to identify patterns in the symbols, noting conventions such as the absence of crosses on human figurines, which may indicate social taboos or coded meanings.
- While the exact meanings of the signs remain unknown, the findings challenge traditional views of writing as a sudden invention,
