Researchers from the University of Bologna have unveiled how ancient cylinder seals played a key role in the development of writing in ancient Mesopotamia, marking a significant breakthrough in understanding the origins of written language.
Their study, published in the journal Antiquity, reveals connections between images engraved on these seals—some dating back about six thousand years—and the proto-cuneiform signs that appeared around 3000 BCE in Uruk, one of Mesopotamia’s earliest and most influential cities.
These cylindrical seals were small stone objects with intricate carvings, rolled over clay tablets to leave an impression. Initially, they were primarily used for administrative purposes in a society that was becoming increasingly complex, driven by expanding trade, agricultural production, and textile manufacturing.
By creating symbols that could be reproduced on tablets, these seals helped keep records of goods and transactions, ensuring accountability and organization. This function laid the groundwork for what would eventually evolve into formal writing systems.
The researchers explain that their findings highlight the seals’ significance in transitioning from symbolic representations to early writing. Proto-cuneiform, one of the earliest known forms of written language, emerged in this same region of Uruk.
This ancient form of writing, which appeared around the fourth millennium BCE, was a pictographic system with more than a thousand signs. While many of these symbols remain undeciphered, the similarities between the seal impressions and proto-cuneiform symbols suggest a shared origin or evolution, with symbols transforming into written signs over time.
Professor Silvia Ferrara, who led the research team, describes this transition as a critical development in human history, marking a shift from prehistoric symbolism to a structured writing system. Ferrara and her team have identified several recurring motifs on these seals, including designs related to the transport of goods like textiles and pottery. These same themes appear in early proto-cuneiform signs, indicating that the symbols on the seals may have inspired or directly contributed to the proto-cuneiform system.
This connection offers valuable insights into the historical context and gradual development of writing in Mesopotamia. Cylinder seals were not merely decorative but served functional and administrative roles in managing goods and maintaining control over economic transactions. As Mesopotamian societies grew, the need for more sophisticated record-keeping mechanisms became essential, and the transition from seals to proto-cuneiform reflects this societal shift.
The research team’s systematic comparison of seal motifs with proto-cuneiform signs provides further support for the idea that these symbols evolved from specific administrative functions to a structured writing system. As co-researchers Kathryn Kelley and Mattia Cartolano note, tracking the development of these images into proto-cuneiform signs reveals a lineage of symbolic representation that evolved alongside Mesopotamia’s early urban and economic growth.
This study not only sheds light on the invention of writing but also emphasizes the cultural and practical importance of these seals. The engravings served as precursors to a written language by attaching specific meanings to pictorial representations, which eventually transformed into abstract symbols representing sounds, words, and concepts. According to Ferrara, the research underscores how the initial meanings associated with these engravings were carried into one of the world’s earliest writing systems, paving the way for future linguistic developments.
SOURCES
Kelley K, Cartolano M, Ferrara S. Seals and signs: tracing the origins of writing in ancient South-west Asia. Antiquity. Published online 2024:1-19. doi:10.15184/aqy.2024.165
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