Humans were recording information more than 40,000 years ago by engraving symbols onto tools, figurines, and other objects, long before the earliest known writing system, Science Daily reported on Wednesday.
A recent study by linguist Christian Bentz of Saarland University and archaeologist Ewa Dutkiewicz of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History indicated that these sequences of signs were not merely random decorations.
Instead, they exhibited levels of complexity and information density comparable to proto-cuneiform, known as the earliest known writing system, that emerged around 3,000 BCE.
Using computational methods, the team examined more than 3,000 symbols engraved on 260 Paleolithic artifacts to gain insight into how writing may have developed.
Objects dating from roughly 34,000 to 45,000 years ago showed repeated patterns of lines, dots, notches, and crosses, many of which were discovered in caves in the Swabian Jura of southwestern Germany.
For instance, at Vogelherd Cave in Lone Valley, archaeologists found a small mammoth figurine carved from mammoth ivory, its surface decorated with rows of crosses and dots.
Another notable sculpture, the Lion Man from Hohlenstein-Stadel Cave in Lone Valley, featured evenly spaced notches along one arm.
The researchers determined that these markings were intentional, suggesting that ancient people likely used them to convey or record information.
“Our research is helping us uncover the unique statistical properties — or statistical fingerprint — of these sign systems, which are an early predecessor to writing,” said Professor Christian Bentz.
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