German Cave Symbols Suggest Writing Existed 40,000 Years Ago
TL;DR
New findings from Germany’s Swabian Jura uncover 40,000-year-old engraved symbol sequences on Paleolithic figurines and tools. The signs are highly repetitive and show information density similar to early proto-cuneiform, implying an early, non-language form of symbolic communication that predates formal writing by tens of thousands of years, challenging views on the linear rise of writing.
- 40,000-Year-Old Symbols Found in German Cave May Be the First Form of Writing Indian Defence Review
- 40,000-year-old German artifacts may display written language precursor Reuters
- Earliest known writing dates back over 40,000 years Popular Science
- 40,000-year-old Stone Age symbols may have paved the way for writing, long before Mesopotamia Phys.org
- 40,000-year-old signs show humans were recording information long before writing ScienceDaily
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