Gaby
Researchers at the University of Bologna have uncovered a connection between proto-cuneiform and images engraved on cylinder seals from around 3000 B.C.
Scientists say the roots of writing are hidden in images on cylinder seals from Uruk, a major city in Mesopotamia.
Scholars believe the early writing system emerged in this region — modern-day Iraq — around the 3rd millennium B.C. Known as cuneiform, the script recorded both sounds and meanings. It was preceded by a simpler system — proto-cuneiform — used between 3350 and 3000 B.C., according to Arkeonews.
What Did the Researchers Discover?
Published in the journal Antiquity, the study shows a link between proto-cuneiform signs that appeared in Uruk around 3000 B.C. and images engraved on seals some 6,000 years old.
The seals were small stone cylinders with intricate carvings; from the mid-4th millennium B.C., people rolled them over clay tablets to leave impressions.
“The conceptual leap that allowed for the transition from symbolism to actual writing is a fundamental achievement of humanity,” said Silvia Ferrara, a professor of classical philology and the study’s lead author. “The results of this research act as a bridge between prehistory and history; they show how some prehistoric images were incorporated into one of the first writing systems invented by humans.”
Ferrara and her team identified recurring themes on the seals — especially scenes related to transporting textiles and ceramics. Because those themes also appear in proto-cuneiform, the team suggests the seals may have directly influenced the development of the writing system.
Study co-authors Katherine Kelly and Mattia Cartolano say the evolution of seal imagery coincided with Mesopotamia’s early urban and economic growth, culminating in the emergence of writing.
