40,000-Year-Old Bone Markings May Be Humanity's Oldest Writing

The latest research by an international team of archaeologists and linguists suggests that Ice Age humans may have used a complex proto-writing system as early as 40,000 years ago. Analysis of over 3,000 markings on 260 artifacts from southern Germany, such as ivory figurines, bones, and antlers, revealed the existence of repetitive, ordered sequences. These were not random decorations but deliberately applied symbols—dots, lines, crosses—forming logical sequences. Until now, Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BCE, where cuneiform writing originated, and ancient Egypt with its hieroglyphs were considered the cradle of writing. It was believed that the administrative needs of early city-states initiated sign systems. Meanwhile, the new discovery indicates that the roots of symbolic communication reach deep into the Paleolithic, the period of hunter-gatherers, radically changing the picture of the development of human symbolic culture. Researchers, including linguist Christian Bentz and archaeologist Ewa Dutkiewicz, applied advanced statistical methods. They compared the complexity of Paleolithic sign sequences with the complexity of known proto-writing systems, such as early forms of cuneiform. The results showed striking statistical similarities, arguing for the deliberate, codified nature of these signs. „Sie spiegelten keine Sprache wider, bildeten aber geordnete Sequenzen.” (They did not reflect language, but formed ordered sequences.) — Christian Bentz The discovery does not concern writing in the full modern sense, which records speech sounds, but its precursor—a system of signs used to record and transmit information. It may have served to mark lunar cycles, count game, or indicate ownership. The artifacts come from key archaeological sites in the region, such as Hohle Fels and the famous Lascaux Cave, where similar dot symbols also appear on the walls. This means the practice was widespread among Upper Paleolithic hunting communities in Europe. Comparison of Symbolic Communication Systems: Location: Mesopotamia, Egypt → Southern Germany (Europe); Dating: 4th millennium BCE (~6,000 years ago) → Upper Paleolithic (34-45,000 years ago); Medium: Clay, stone, papyrus → Bone, antler, ivory This discovery is fundamental for understanding the evolution of human thought. It pushes the moment of organized, symbolic communication beyond the boundaries of agricultural societies, back to the era of hunter-gatherers. It suggests that the need for abstract thinking and information preservation is deeply rooted in human nature. true: The claim about analyzing over 3,000 markings on 260 artifacts is consistent with all source reports and based on published research. (Scientific publication by the team of Bentz and Dutkiewicz) The researchers' next step will be an attempt to decipher the meaning of specific sequences and to check if similar systems existed in other regions of the world.