Humans 40,000 y ago developed a system of conventional signs

Overview

This research examines geometric sign systems present on Aurignacian artifacts dating between 43,000 and 34,000 years ago, a period associated with early modern human settlement in Central Europe. The study analyzes over 200 mobile objects bearing thousands of geometric signs to characterize their measurable properties and determine whether these markings constitute a proto-writing system distinct from later developments.

Methods and approach

The investigation employs classification algorithms and statistical models to analyze the quantitative properties of sign sequences recovered from the Aurignacian assemblage. The analytical framework involves comparative statistical analysis between Paleolithic sign sequences, modern writing systems, and protocuneiform tablet inscriptions. Systematic examination of sign distribution patterns across artifact types establishes whether signs were applied with differential density according to object category, such as ivory figurines versus utilitarian tools.

Key Findings

Statistical analyses demonstrate that Aurignacian sign sequences exhibit properties fundamentally distinct from modern writing systems. Simultaneously, the statistical characteristics of these sequences are comparable to those observed in protocuneiform tablets, the earliest documented writing system. Sign application was not random but systematic, with deliberately higher information density concentrated on specific artifact types, particularly ivory figurines relative to tool surfaces. The data indicate deliberate, conventional, and systematic employment of sign sequences across the analyzed corpus.

Implications

The findings establish that Paleolithic hunter-gatherers who first settled in Europe possessed and employed sign systems of measurable complexity and systematic organization. These sign sequences demonstrate properties consistent with proto-writing conventions thousands of years prior to the emergence of formal writing systems. While the specific semantic content of Aurignacian signs remains indeterminate, the systematic and conventional nature of their application indicates cognitive and communicative sophistication comparable to early protocuneiform information encoding.