T he world's oldest known system of writing was influenced by symbols used for trade — engravings found on cylinders used in the exchange of farming produce and textiles, a new study suggests.

Ancient Origins of Writing Traced to Mysterious 6,000-Year-Old Symbols Comparison of the 'fringed cloth' motif and proto-cuneiform signs. ( Kelley et al., Antiquity , 2024 ) ...

Before Mesopotamian people invented writing, they used cylinder seals to press patterns into wet clay – and some of the symbols used were carried over into proto-writing ...

The writing system is thought to have originated from Mesopotamia, now an area of modern-day Iraq. Before cuneiform, however, there was a script using abstract pictographic signs called proto ...

Or writing can be play. It is really both, but if we can slip into play mode, we can enjoy writing more, go farther with it and last longer. Stuart Brown, M.D., in his groundbreaking book “Play ...

A link exists between 6,000-year-old engravings on cylindrical seals used on clay tablets and cuneiform, the world’s oldest writing system, according to new research.

A link exists between 6,000-year-old engravings on cylindrical seals used on clay tablets and cuneiform, the world’s oldest writing system, according to new research.

Whether or not the symbols are actually writing depends on what you mean by “writing”, says d’Errico. Strictly speaking, a full system must encode all of human speech, ruling the Stone Age ...