First writing may be 40,000 years earlier than thought

BBC News - WorldEN 2 min read 100% complete February 26, 2026 at 01:02 PM

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Researchers at the University of Tübingen have made a significant discovery that challenges traditional views on the origins of writing. The team analyzed over 3,000 characters on 260 objects from Germany's Lonetal cave system and found evidence of patterns of meaning in lines, notches, dots, and crosses dating back around 45,000 years. This is tens of thousands of years earlier than previously believed, with the earliest known written words attributed to proto-cuneiform scripts made around 5,000 years ago in ancient Iraq. The discovery suggests that Stone Age people were capable of complex communication, and the team believes they deliberately carved these symbols to convey messages and thoughts. The precise meaning of the symbols remains a mystery, but the findings provide new insights into the evolution of writing.

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Mesoamerica 30% China 30% Egypt 40% Africa 40% Neanderthals 40% University of Tübingen 50% Homo sapiens 50% Christian Bentz 60% Iraq 60% Georgina Rannard 60% Mesopotamia ×270% Germany ×280%

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writing 80% stone age 70% proto-cuneiform 60% neanderthals 50% symbol sequences 50% cuneiform scripts 40% homo sapiens 40%

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writing stone age proto-cuneiform neanderthals symbol sequences cuneiform scripts homo sapiens

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