Scientists made new discovery about origin of writing

By Alimat Aliyeva

Scientists have made a new discovery about the origin of writing in Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, Azernews reports.

The first examples of writing are typically attributed to ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and the Maya civilization. However, researchers from the University of Bologna in Italy have uncovered an intriguing connection between the images on 6,000-year-old cylindrical seals found in the city of Uruk and the Proto-Sinaitic script. This discovery could lead to a re-evaluation of the timeline for the development of writing.

The scientists determined that the clay seals used in Uruk in the 4th millennium BC may contain early forms of Proto-Sinaitic writing. These seals were primarily used for registering agricultural and commercial goods. Professor Silvia Ferrara stated that this work confirms for the first time that the mechanism of writing creation was based on a printing system. Her research showed that the symbols on the cylindrical seals discovered in Uruk bear similarities to the later Proto-Sinaitic script.

Ferrara explains the significance of the discovery: "We wanted to challenge existing theories about the origin of cuneiform writing in Uruk. Unlike previous ideas, we found that cylindrical seals, which predated writing, were tools that influenced the invention of cuneiform script. For the first time, these seals reflect not only the economic but also the social and cultural aspects of writing. Their use played a critical role in shaping the semantic nature of writing and its ability to convey information."

Along with Ferrara, researchers Catherine Kelly and Mattia Cartolano contributed to the study. Kelly adds, "We aimed to understand why and how writing was created, and we discovered that ancient sealing technology played a pivotal role in the development of writing."

These important findings introduce new perspectives on the theory of writing's origins in ancient cultures and offer valuable insights into humanity's transition to written language. However, writing systems of other ancient cultures, such as those in India, Pakistan, and Easter Island, have yet to be fully explored, and further research is needed.