The world's oldest known system of writing was influenced by symbols used for trade — engravings found on cylinders used in the exchange of farming produce and textiles, a new study suggests. The ...

Researchers have uncovered links between the precursor to the world's oldest writing system and the mysterious, intricate designs left behind by engraved cylindrical seals that were rolled across clay ...

Co-authors Kathryn Kelley and Mattia Cartolano from the University of Bologna's Department of Classical Philology and Italian Studies studied seal imagery from before the invention of writing. A ...

Across the ancient southern Levant, some cylinder seals carried inscriptions that looked like cuneiform but could not be fully read as proper text. These "fake cuneiform seals" were not simple ...

The world’s oldest known writing system may have had its origins in the imagery on decorated cylinders used to denote ownership or record transactions. Some of the symbols on these cylinder seals ...

A new AI-powered tool is helping researchers crack one of history’s oldest writing systems — and it could completely transform the study of ancient civilizations. Called “Palaeographicum,” the tool ...

Italian researchers suggest that symbols from the oldest writing system in the world may have come directly from cylinder seal motifs. Reading time 3 minutes For centuries, scholars have puzzled over ...

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Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN’s Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being. Researchers have uncovered ...