Ancient artifacts reveal early humans may have used symbols
Researchers have found over 3,000 mysterious signs on ancient artifacts from caves in Germany, which researchers say may represent an early form of symbolic notation or protowriting rather than a true writing system.
These markings date back to when early Homo sapiens first arrived in Europe, about 40,000 years ago.
Patterns remind experts of proto-cuneiform
The signs—think dots, zigzags, and little grids—weren't random or just for decoration.
The patterns remind experts of proto-cuneiform (an early form of writing from ancient Mesopotamia), and the way they're placed suggests people followed specific rules.
Some marks only show up on animal figurines or tools and never on human figures.
Discovery challenges what we thought about when writing began
This discovery challenges what we thought about when writing began.
Instead of starting with farming or cities, humans might have been sharing ideas through symbols much earlier than anyone guessed.
It's a peek into how creative and thoughtful our ancestors really were.