Study reveals earliest point in writing related to trading symbols

A recent study published in the journal Antiquity unveiled a significant link between ancient trade symbols and the development of cuneiform writing in Mesopotamia. Researchers from the University of Bologna systematically compared cylinder seal motifs with proto-cuneiform signs, revealing that engravings found on cylinders used in the exchange of farming produce and textiles influenced the early writing system.

Co-authors Kathryn Kelley and Mattia Cartolano from the Department of Classical Philology and Italian Studies at the University of Bologna focused on seal imagery that originated before the invention of writing but continued to develop into the proto-literate period. "We focused on seal imagery that originated before the invention of writing, while continuing to develop into the proto-literate period," they said in a statement.

The study highlights how motifs seen on preliterate cylinder seals, used for millennia throughout Mesopotamia to record interactions between cities, contributed to the development of proto-cuneiform signs seen on 5,000-year-old clay tablets from the southern Mesopotamian city of Uruk. The researchers identified specific motifs related to the transport and storage of jars and cloth that directly influenced the shapes and meanings of proto-cuneiform signs.

Proto-cuneiform, an early sign-based script, emerged between 3350 and 3000 B.C. in the city of Uruk, located in what is now southern Iraq. It is considered a form of proto-writing used in Mesopotamia and is thought to be the precursor to the world's first writing system, cuneiform script, developed by the Sumerian civilization around 3100 B.C.

Cylinder seals are cylindrical objects with patterns and images embossed on them that, when rolled across clay, left intricate designs. When rolled over sheets of wet clay, cylinder seals leave a rectangular collection of symbols. These seals were often associated with temple institutions and were used to track the movement and storage of goods like textiles and agricultural products. They played a crucial role in the administrative functions of early Mesopotamian societies.

The researchers examined cylinder seals dating back to about 4400–3400 B.C., a period more than 1,000 years before the development of writing. Some of the seals examined in the study date to about 4400 B.C., indicating that the imagery predates the earliest forms of writing. The team analyzed seals from a wide area of southwest Asia, including Mesopotamia.

By systematically comparing the motifs on these seals with proto-cuneiform signs, the team found several symbols that corresponded to those used in early writing. One of the clearest examples identified is the use of images of fringed cloth and vessels in a net. These images have well-understood meanings, referring to the transport of goods, and are found both on cylinder seals and proto-cuneiform tablets, including symbols depicting a building and poles made from reeds.

"The transformation of cylinder seal motifs into proto-cuneiform signs reveals a significant cultural leap in ancient Mesopotamia," the researchers wrote. This process illustrates how ancient societies transitioned from using symbolic imagery for practical purposes to developing a formal writing system. The findings also demonstrate the continuity between the motifs on cylinder seals and the symbols in proto-cuneiform, revealing a gradual yet profound shift from visual representation to written communication.

Professor Silvia Ferrara from the University of Bologna emphasized the importance of this transition. "There's been this longstanding reconstruction of how writing appeared in Mesopotamia, which is arguably the earliest invention of writing in the world. We're retracing the trajectory in a way that's more, I would say, colourful, less straitjacketed," she said, according to New Scientist.

Ferrara suggests that the invention of writing in Mesopotamia was a decentralized process, in which many people across a wide area contributed to the set of symbols used. "There is evidence for making a claim that the invention of writing in Mesopotamia was, in fact, much more decentralized than we think," she said. "I think there's evidence for having a more widespread and more distributed prompt to writing."

The study builds upon previous proposals by scholars such as Holly Pittman, who first suggested in a 1994 book chapter that the imagery on seals was a fundamental influence on proto-cuneiform writing. "I am gratified that, 30 years after I first proposed the fundamental role of seal imagery in the origins of proto-cuneiform script, a new generation of scholars have taken up my idea and, with their expertise in cuneiform script, have put details to my argument," Pittman said.

Despite the compelling connections found between seal motifs and proto-cuneiform signs, some experts caution against drawing definitive conclusions. Anthropologist Gordon Whittaker, an expert on the origins of cuneiform at the University of Göttingen in Germany, called the study "interesting and thought-provoking" but warned, "In the few instances in which the same item appears to be depicted in both a seal and a proto-cuneiform sign, there is no obvious causal relationship that would link the one with the other."

Other scholars expressed support for the study's findings. Amy Richardson at the University of Reading in the U.K. said, "I find it to be very convincing. There does seem to be a really neat correlation in the particular examples that they're illustrating in this article." She noted that while tokens may have played a role in the development of writing, the new research provides valuable insights into the meanings of specific seal motifs and proto-cuneiform signs.

The transformation of cylinder seal motifs into proto-cuneiform signs underscores the innovative spirit of early Mesopotamian societies. This development highlights how practical needs drove technological advancements, culminating in one of humanity's most significant inventions: writing. As researchers continue to explore the depths of proto-cuneiform, our understanding of the dawn of written communication continues to expand.

Cuneiform writing, which evolved from proto-cuneiform, used a stylus to make wedge-shaped impressions in unbaked clay. These impressions created signs representing sounds to make a record of spoken language. The clay could be dried or baked, preserving the signs. Cuneiform was developed by the Sumerian civilization that lived in early cities in southern Mesopotamia from about 5500 to 2300 B.C.

The Sumerian civilization was succeeded by the Akkadian Empire, based in the city of Akkad. The Akkadians adopted the Sumerian system of writing but applied it to their own language. Akkadian written in cuneiform became the common written language of Mesopotamia for more than 2,000 years, throughout the subsequent Babylonian and Assyrian periods.

The researchers hope that their work will provide insight into the meaning of some seal motifs and help scholars decode more proto-cuneiform symbols. "It proves that the motifs known from cylinder seals are directly related to the development of writing in southern Iraq and shows how meaning was transferred from preliterate motifs into script," the authors wrote.

Sources: Live Science, New Scientist, Ancient Origins Reconstructing the story of humanity's past

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq