Posted on 07/10/2013 9:19:40 PM PDT by TexGrill
BEIJING — Archaeologists say they have discovered some of the world’s oldest known primitive writing, dating back about 5,000 years, in eastern China, and some of the markings etched on broken axes resemble a modern Chinese character.
The inscriptions on artifacts found at a relic site south of Shanghai are about 1,400 years older than the oldest written Chinese language. Chinese scholars are divided over whether the markings are words or something simpler, but they say the finding will shed light on the origins of Chinese language and culture.
The oldest writing in the world is believed to be from Mesopotamia, dating back slightly more than 5,000 years. Chinese characters are believed to have been developed independently.
Inscriptions were found on more than 200 pieces dug out from the Neolithic-era Liangzhu relic site. The pieces are among thousands of fragments of ceramic, stone, jade, wood, ivory and bone excavated from the site between 2003 and 2006, lead archaeologist Xu Xinmin said.
The inscriptions have not been reviewed by experts outside the country, but a group of Chinese scholars on archaeology and ancient writing met last weekend in Zhejiang province to discuss the finding.
(Excerpt) Read more at gosanangelo.com ...
I’d be suspicious of this until outside groups verify it. I’ve read speeches from Chinese generals putting forward racist theories about the origin of their people based on claims of evolving separately from the rest of mankind, and having been the first to do this or that alleged feat.
Oh, yeah; the Arabs have the same line.
Translated it says "Never trust a DemoRat."
ping
I was thinking:
Milk
Bread
Ketchup
Eggs
“Drink your Ovaltine.”
This seems credible as it puts this “proto writing” at some 600 years after the Middle East, according to another source. The famous turtle shell predictions writing coming some 1400 years later is quite advanced and an unlikely first attempt. The cast inscriptions in bronz ware follows shortly after the turtle shells and, taken together hint at a fairly long prior development. For the life of me, I can’t understand why the Chinese persist with written language that is so difficult to learn.
*Broken* axes. What do you figure they say "Made in China"?
That’s just fifty 100 year lifespans back to back.
Really ain’t that long, now that I’m getting a perspective on what a century is.
“Pound pastrami, can kraut, six bagels—bring home for Emma.”
Was it a Burma Shave ad?
I didn’t know that Helen Thomas could write in Chinese.
“Damn, Helen Thomas is ugly.”
Do they read cursive?
This seems credible as it puts this “proto writing” at some 600 years after the Middle East, according to another source. The famous turtle shell predictions writing coming some 1400 years later is quite advanced and an unlikely first attempt. The cast inscriptions in bronz ware follows shortly after the turtle shells and, taken together hint at a fairly long prior development. For the life of me, I can’t understand why the Chinese persist with written language that is so difficult to learn.
Personally I think there was a pre-ice age civilisation that could be from 250,000 to 50,000 years old.
Looking at the picture,it could be a fish with a spear in it.
It’s pretty much a Rorschach test on a stone blade. No reason to think it’s writing.
中国文字是所有草书，但已没有字母。
Zhōngguó wénzì shì suǒyǒu cǎoshū, dàn yǐ méiyǒu zìmǔ.
0bama’s BC?
One of the great science fiction stories of all time.
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