Amateur archaeologist deciphers ancient cave symbols, suggests earliest form of writing
Upper Paleolithic cave paintings are found in at least 400 caves across Europe. Some of these cave paintings date back more than 40,000 years, with animal figures estimated to be about 37,000 years old. These works of art were created by Homo sapiens.
An amateur explores prehistoric signs
Ben Bacon, a Briton engaged professionally in furniture conservation, harbors a passion for prehistory. He opted to examine the cave frescoes located in various European caves, including Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain.
Predominantly, prehistoric hunters painted the animals they hunted with some level of realism. The portrayal of these animals often accompanies unidentified signs - so-called mysterious figures - which up till now, remained undeciphered. The most frequent depictions include dots, vertical lines, or "Y" shaped slashes, often appearing in groups.
According to Bacon, the signs could represent measurements of time, possibly indicating animal reproductive cycles.
Collaboration between an amateur and professionals
In his research, Bacon perused reproductions of prehistoric frescoes from the collections at the British Library and online resources. To ensure credibility, he also consulted professional scientists from institutions such as University College London and Durham University, who offered their supportive feedback.
Analysis revealed that these signs, potentially representing the reproductive cycles of animals, could also be associated with the lunar cycle. This suggests that original hunters-gatherers systematically monitored the various lunar phases, using them as natural indicators to dictate their own cycles.
The article in the "Cambridge Archaeological Journal" reported that the dots and vertical lines may symbolize the number of lunar months. The "Y" symbol translates as "to be born" and likely signifies the birthing periods of the hunted animals.
Thus, we conclude that these signs found in prehistoric caves could reflect an age when a simple system of written messages or proto-writing emerged - insight gathered from the article. The earliest verified writing artifacts are traced back to Sumer (the Middle East), dating back approximately 5,500 years.
