A 2026 PNAS study found a conventional geometric-sign system on Aurignacian artifacts from Germany dated to about 40,000 years ago. Its information density was comparable to proto-cuneiform, but the signs are not demonstrated to be writing. The video argues that the system persisted for 10,000 years across hundreds of miles; the paper’s analyzed assemblage does not establish that broader continuity.
PNAS study finds conventional signs on 40,000-year-old Aurignacian artifacts
Key facts
- The 2026 PNAS paper "Humans 40,000 y ago developed a system of conventional signs" analyzed geometric signs on mobile artifacts from an approximately 40,000-year-old Aurignacian assemblage in Germany.
- The study found conventional, structured signs and compared their information density with early writing systems, including proto-cuneiform.
- The comparison concerned measurable information properties, not a perfect visual match between Aurignacian signs and proto-cuneiform. The signs have not been deciphered and are not demonstrated to be writing.
- The video argues that one standardized system persisted for 10,000 years across hundreds of miles; that broader continuity claim is not directly established by the analyzed 40,000-year-old assemblage.
- The study supports conventional notation existing by about 40,000 years ago, but it did not quantify standardized systems as having been far more common than previously thought.
Sources
Geometric Signs & Symbols in Rock Artbradshawfoundation.com
This has resulted in the Aurignacian period in particular, being labelled as consisting mostly of engravings. Symbol and Notation.
Humans 40000 y ago developed a system of conventional ...pnas.org
by C Bentz · 2026 · Cited by 11 — Some of the signs of the Swabian Aurignacian are likely indices. For instance, notches applied to flutes for indicating where holes need to be cut out. In fact, ...
Early Humans May Have Invented System of Symbols ...sci.news
The Aurignacian signs do not. Instead, the engravings represent a stable, conventional system of signs — a way to store and transmit ...
Aurignacian tradition | Arts and Entertainmentebsco.com
The Aurignacian tradition represents the earliest known culture of modern humans in Europe, dating from approximately 34000 to 23000 years ago during the ...
These 40000-Year-Old Marks May Be a Precursor to Writingsciencealert.com
The research suggests that the Aurignacian symbols represent a form of human intercommunication, even if their exact meaning is now lost.
40,000-year-old signs show humans were recording information ...sciencedaily.com
More than 40,000 years ago, early humans were already engraving symbols onto tools, figurines, and other objects.
40,000 Years Before Cuneiform: Ice Age Hunters in Germany ...theinteldrop.org
For decades, the “creative explosion” of the Upper Paleolithic was linked to the sudden appearance of cave art and figurines around 40,000 years ago. This study adds a crucial new layer:…
Humans 40,000 y ago developed a system of conventional signspnas.org
Our hominin ancestors harnessed the surfaces of mobile artifacts and cave walls as information carriers since the Paleolithic time period. Theories abound as to the meaning and function of these…
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