Skip to comments.
Ancient code in Ice Age drawings solved
Heritage Daily ^
| January 5, 2023
| Markus Milligan
Posted on 01/06/2023 10:01:08 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Researchers from Durham University have decoded the meaning of markings found in Ice Age drawings, providing evidence of early writing at least 20,000 years ago.
The team were studying cave art, found in at least 400 European caves such as Lascaux, Chauvet and Altamira, which contains a series of lines and dots found alongside drawings of animals...
The team has revealed that the lines and dots indicate the mating and birthing seasons of animals. A "Y" sign formed by adding a diverging line to another has also been determined to mean "giving birth".
By using the birth cycles of equivalent animals today as a reference point, the researchers were able to work out that the number of marks associated with Ice Age animals were a phenological record by lunar month of when they were mating, as well as functioned as units of communication.
The study refers to the writing as a proto-writing system, pre-dating other token-based systems that are thought to have emerged during the Near Eastern Neolithic by at least 10,000 years...
Having demonstrated that they can crack the meaning of at least some of these symbols, the team is hoping to continue their work and attempt to understand more of the symbols, their cognitive bases and what information Ice Age hunter-gatherers valued.
(Excerpt) Read more at heritagedaily.com ...
TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: altamira; breedingseason; caveart; cavepaintings; chauvet; code; dots; epigraphyandlanguage; glyphs; godsgravesglyphs; hunting; iceage; lascaux; lunarcalendar; mating; matingseason; writing
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-40, 41 next last
1
posted on
01/06/2023 10:01:08 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
To: SunkenCiv
Why would hunter/gatherers want to write down the mating and birthing seasons of animals? Wouldn’t they just go kill animals as needed?
2
posted on
01/06/2023 10:06:35 PM PST
by
ProtectOurFreedom
(If you're not part of the solution, you're just scumming up the bottom of the beaker)
To: SunkenCiv
Ancient code in Ice Age drawings solvedCoding. So easy, a caveman could do it.
3
posted on
01/06/2023 10:08:05 PM PST
by
Jeff Chandler
(THE ISSUE IS NEVER THE ISSUE. THE REVOLUTION IS THE ISSUE.)
The rest of the Cave Art/Cave Painting keywords, sorted:
- The World's Oldest Animations Stretch All The Way Back to Cave Times [12/27/2022]
- Ancient South Australia cave art destroyed by vandals [12/21/2022]
- PICS: Centuries-old carvings found in Viking cave at abandoned home in Ukraine [11/25/2022]
- Peru: Cave art found on Inca Trail crossing Archaeological Park of Machu Picchu [09/21/2022]
- Maharashtra: Ancient stone age tools found in India cave [09/21/2022]
- Eerie Figures With Giant Heads Found Painted in a Rock Shelter in Tanzania [07/03/2022]
- Study: Spain's Cueva de Ardales Was Used by Ancient Humans for Over 50,000 years [06/06/2022]
- Largest known cave art images in US by Indigenous Americans discovered in Alabama [05/06/2022]
- The Largest Cave Drawings in North America Have Been Found in Alabama [05/05/2022]
- Ancient Cave Sealed For 40,000 Years May Have Been Hideout of The Last Neanderthals [09/30/2021]
- Oldest example of immobile art immortalised in rock discovered in Tibet [09/18/2021]
- Study confirms ancient Spanish cave art was made by Neanderthals [08/15/2021]
- Salt erosion decaying world's oldest cave painting at rapid pace [06/14/2021]
- World's oldest known cave painting found in Indonesia [01/13/2021]
- Take A Virtual Tour Of Chauvet Cave, Home Of The Best Preserved Cave Paintings [12/22/2020]
- Sprawling 8-mile-long 'canvas' of ice age beasts discovered hidden in Amazon rainforest ... Ice age people painted these animals 12,600 years ago. [12/02/2020]
- Testing the DNA of cave art [07/02/2020]
- Small works of art on a large canvas [06/05/2020]
- Ancient cave with distinguished engravings depicting scenes of animals discovered in Sinai [05/04/2020]
- Rare Butchery Scene Found in 30,000-year-old Rock Art in India [04/30/2020]
- Cave Paintings of the Altamira Cave and Lascaux Cave, to Hurrian Hymns [04/11/2020]
- Ancient Art Found in Basque Country Changes Understanding of Prehistoric Society [03/16/2020]
- World's oldest cave art: Half-animal, half-human hybrids depicted on oldest discovered cave art [12/12/2019]
- Dating questions challenge whether Neandertals drew Spanish cave art [10/31/2019]
- Stone block with mysterious 12,000-year-old engravings discovered at prehistoric hunting site [06/06/2019]
- Did kangaroos ever live in India? A new discovery has some archaeologists hopping with excitement [05/16/2019]
- We should gene-sequence cave paintings to find out more about who made them [02/16/2019]
- This animal on a cave wall in Borneo is the oldest known figurative painting in the world [11/07/2018]
- Down to the last detail: How our ancestors with autistic traits led a revolution in Ice Age art [06/03/2018]
- Indonesian island found to be unusually rich in cave paintings [12/18/2017]
- High Altitude Archaeology: Prehistoric Paintings Revealed [06/19/2016]
- Cave art trove found in Spain 1,000 feet underground [05/29/2016]
- Stunning cave paintings found 300 metres below Spain [05/27/2016]
- 'Stone Age Art' In Upper Franconian Cave Not An Archaeological Sensation After All [05/22/2016]
- Prehistoric Hand Stencils In Spanish Caves Not Randomly Placed, Say Researchers [04/23/2016]
- Chauvet Cave: The Most Accurate Timeline Yet Of Who Used The Cave And When [04/18/2016]
- Vanished! The Surprising Things Missing From Ancient Art [03/03/2016]
- 'Cave of forgotten dreams' may hold earliest painting of volcanic eruption [01/16/2016]
- Coolest Archaeological Discoveries of 2014 [CHEESE!] [12/30/2014]
- Indonesian Cave Art Among Science's Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2014 [12/22/2014]
- Possible Neanderthal rock engraving in Gorham's Cave [12/09/2014]
- Hallucinogenic Plants May Be Key to Decoding Ancient Southwestern Paintings, Expert Says [11/16/2014]
- Scientists say Indonesia cave drawings the same age as those in Europe [10/09/2014]
- Study Claims Cave Art Made By Neanderthals [09/01/2014]
- Ice age lion figurine: Ancient fragment of ivory belonging to 40,000 year old animal figurine.... [08/02/2014]
- Prehistoric hunting scenes unearthed in Spanish cave [05/25/2014]
- Altamira cave paintings to be opened to the public once again [03/01/2014]
- Cave Art Reveals Ancient View of Cosmos [07/01/2013]
- World's Earliest Figurative Sculpture - Ice Age Lion Man (40,000 Year-Old Mammoth Ivory Statue) [02/08/2013]
- New dating puts cave art in the age of Neanderthals [06/15/2012]
- Famous Cave Paintings Might Not Be From Humans [06/15/2012]
- Spain claims top spot for world's oldest cave art (Is it a Neanderthal "painting?") [06/15/2012]
- The Top Four Candidates for Europe's Oldest Work of Art [05/19/2012]
- The writing on the wall: Symbols from the Palaeolithic [03/22/2012]
- 'The Oldest (Neanderthal) Work Of Art Ever': 42,000-Year-Old Paintings Of Seals Found In Spain [02/08/2012]
- Is the Lion Man a Woman? Solving the Mystery of a 35,000-Year-Old Statue [12/12/2011]
- Prehistoric Cave Paintings of Horses Were Spot-On, Say Scientists [11/08/2011]
- From the Cave to the Kennel [10/29/2011]
- Stone-age toddlers had art lessons, study says [10/08/2011]
- Tests confirm age of prehistoric carving in Wales [07/29/2011]
- Cave of Forgotten Dreams [05/17/2011]
- Missing Parts of Sphinx Found in German Cave [04/30/2011]
- Bear DNA is clue to age of Chauvet cave art [04/19/2011]
- The 30,000 Year Old Cave that Descends into Hell [01/21/2011]
- Megafauna cave painting could be 40,000 years old [05/31/2010]
- Religious beliefs are the basis of the origins of Palaeolithic art [03/31/2010]
- Magnificence on Cave Walls [01/25/2010]
- Mystery of the Narara caves [12/18/2009]
- Maha group finds cave paintings in Satpura ranges[India] [12/03/2009]
- The Oldest Lunar Calendar on Earth [09/21/2009]
- PICTURES: Prehistoric European Cave Artists Were Female [06/30/2009]
- Cave Painting Depicts Extinct Marsupial Lion [05/25/2009]
- PHOTOS: Unusual Rock Art Trove Found in Australia [10/23/2008]
- Prehistoric cave paintings took up to 20,000 years to complete [10/04/2008]
- Many hands painted Lascaux caves [07/31/2008]
- Rare Cave Inscriptions [03/08/2008]
- Can Ice Age art survive Man's attempt to save it? (Lascaux Cave Paintings) [01/02/2008]
- Ice Age Cave Art Preserved [07/29/2007]
- Egypt's Oldest Known Art Identified, Is 15,000 Years Old [07/13/2007]
- Earliest Horse Figures Of Anatolia In Eskiºehir [02/27/2007]
- Paviland Cave And The Red Lady [01/17/2007]
- Implications for the Behavioral Modernity of Neandertals [08/28/2006]
- Ancient cave in France throws up rare finds [ Vilhonneur ] [06/02/2006]
- Are cave paintings really little more than the testosterone-fuelled scribblings of young men? [06/01/2006]
- Study: Modern Humans Killed Off Neanderthals Quickly [02/25/2006]
- Modern humans 'blitzed Europe'(Radiocarbon Dating Development) [02/23/2006]
- Modern humans took over Europe in just 5,000 years [02/23/2006]
- Humans vs. Neanderthals: Game Over Earlier [02/22/2006]
- Cave Drawings Reportedly 25,000 Years Old [02/05/2006]
- Cave Paintings Reveal Ice Age Artists [12/07/2005]
- Modern humans, Neanderthals shared earth for 1,000 years [09/02/2005]
- Macro-Etymology: Paleosigns [writing 20,000 years ago?] [05/19/2005]
- Oldest rock art in Britain: 12,800 years [04/24/2005]
- Were Cavemen Painting For Their Gods? [03/06/2005]
- Ancient Engravings Found In Somerset Cave [02/08/2005]
- Unprecedented Ice Age Cave Art Discovered In UK [08/21/2004]
- Shell Beads From South African Cave Show Modern Human Behavior 75,000 Years Ago [04/30/2004]
- Cave Colours Reveal Mental Leap [12/11/2003]
- French Student Looks For Lefties Among Earliest Cave Painters [12/10/2003]
- Jerusalem Burial Cave Reveals: Apostle Simon Peter buried in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem [11/23/2003]
- Stone Age Code Red: Scarlet Symbols Emerge In Israeli Cave [11/08/2003]
- Britain And France In Dispute Over Cave Art [10/16/2003]
- Lion man takes pride of place as oldest statue: 30,000-year-old carving [09/05/2003]
- Archaeologists Unearth Britain's First Cave Pictures [06/15/2003]
- Prehistoric Images Threatened by Fungi (French Scientists Surrender To Mold) [05/06/2003]
- Science Shows Cave Art Developed Early [10/03/2001]
4
posted on
01/06/2023 10:10:48 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...
5
posted on
01/06/2023 10:11:15 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: SunkenCiv
What’s the earliest reference to Ovaltine?
6
posted on
01/06/2023 10:12:07 PM PST
by
ComputerGuy
(Heavily-medicated for your protection)
To: ProtectOurFreedom
Well I’d rather not hunt during the prey’s mating season. YMMV.
7
posted on
01/06/2023 10:21:37 PM PST
by
Buttons12
( Do you not think an Angel rides in the Whirlwind and directs this Storm?)
To: SunkenCiv
Martin Sweatman wrote a book a few years back dealing with Cave Art and after much study determined that constellations were being depicted amd that the probability of these being anything else but constellations were something like a million to one—
he also has a blogspot: https://martinsweatman.blogspot.com Read for yourself and decide. He originally got into this line of study after seeing about Goblekli Tepe and decided to try and decode the one of the Columns.
His decoding shows that column 47 (?) depcits the season and the constellation when a comet or bollide was seen in the skies that lead to horrendous earth changes. Fascinating stuff.
I read an article earlier today here on Free Republic asking as to why science seems to be stymied when it comes to innovation these days. I would say that it is because independent researchers are ignored and cast aside. In years of old, all science was done by independent and self taught curious men. Because someone does not have letters behind their name does not mean that their research is not valid...
8
posted on
01/06/2023 10:28:29 PM PST
by
abigkahuna
(Honk Honk. It’s Clown World Out There. )
To: ProtectOurFreedom
Animals become easier to hunt during mating season.
As for births, assuming the ancients didn’t have modern age restrictions on harvesting the young, that is also a time when the mothers and their offspring are more vulnerable.
9
posted on
01/06/2023 10:32:20 PM PST
by
Williams
(Stop Tolerating The Intolerant)
To: Buttons12
Do you hunt? Because mating season is what hunters wait all year for.
10
posted on
01/06/2023 10:35:37 PM PST
by
Williams
(Stop Tolerating The Intolerant)
To: SunkenCiv
11
posted on
01/06/2023 11:00:36 PM PST
by
mairdie
(Brother Beekman - Henry Livingston, Jr - https://youtu.be/hB-uHg9QTc8)
To: ComputerGuy; SunkenCiv; SaveFerris; PROCON
What’s the earliest reference to Ovaltine?
****
It was the day Oog gave his presentation on risk management.
12
posted on
01/06/2023 11:23:07 PM PST
by
Larry Lucido
(Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)
To: ProtectOurFreedom
Why would hunter/gatherers want to write down the mating and birthing seasons of animals? Wouldn’t they just go kill animals as needed? You aren't a hunter, are you?
Even modern hunters do well to pay attention to the rutting cycle, etc. of their prey.
Regards,
13
posted on
01/06/2023 11:50:55 PM PST
by
alexander_busek
(Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
To: SunkenCiv
I used to oike The Flintstones intro where Fred eats a huge stack of ribs.
To: SunkenCiv
To: SunkenCiv
At least that is what they think it means.
To: ProtectOurFreedom
Why would hunter/gatherers want to write down the mating and birthing seasons of animals? Wouldn’t they just go kill animals as needed?
—
Because they were not stupid? They valued their local resources and, to have it your way, they would soon kill off all the game in the area and have to move elsewhere.
Like all people today who harvest natural resources - they are better stewards than city folk who know little to nothing about preserving resources and attribute their lack of understanding to those whose lives and livelihoods depend on the continuation of the resource.
17
posted on
01/07/2023 4:23:20 AM PST
by
PIF
(They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
To: Williams
Animals become easier to hunt during mating season.
—
If you want to preserve the local game resource, you do not hunt them during at season, absent a government agency setting rules. Also remember during that time humans were few and animals were plentiful and very dangerous to hunt.
18
posted on
01/07/2023 4:25:57 AM PST
by
PIF
(They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
To: ProtectOurFreedom
Deer hunters today hunt deer when they rut (mating season)... a time when the bucks are much less wary of humans because they are focused on competing males.
If you are hunting even larger animals, it may be less risky to hunt when there are many calves not yet full-sized.
The mating season of some game birds is followed by a period in which they are rendered flightless briefly while molting in advance of growing new feathers for migration.
Hunters are typically very interested in the life cycles of the animals they hunt.
19
posted on
01/07/2023 4:30:15 AM PST
by
piasa
(Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
To: PIF
No...
hunting the males ...of which there are always an excess... reduces both competition between males and the stress on the females in breeding season, making the females more successful in rearing young. When there are too many males there is more fighting, more injuries, and of course, nearly constant pursuit and harassment of females, which limits the amount of grazing they can get in a day, and can leave them underweight.
20
posted on
01/07/2023 4:39:53 AM PST
by
piasa
(Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-40, 41 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson