Chinese archaeologists and scholars believe they have identified writing dating back to the Neolithic. If confirmed, the discovery would mark a turning point in the history of human writing with artefacts older than those of Mesopotamia.

Shanghai (AsiaNews) - Archaeologists say they have discovered some of the world's oldest known primitive writing, dating about 5,000 years ago. Inscriptions were dug out from the Neolithic-era Liangzhu relic site, near Shanghai. Some had word-like shapes resembling a sentence.

Up to now, it was thought that the oldest forms of Chinese writing had no more than 3,500 years. The oldest form of written communication goes back more than 5,000 years and was found in Mesopotamia. But if the recent findings are confirmed, a new record would be established.

Inscriptions were found on more than 200 pieces dug out from the Neolithic-era Liangzhu relic site. The pieces are among thousands of fragments of ceramic, stone, jade, wood, ivory and bone excavated from the site between 2003 and 2006, lead archaeologist Xu Xinmin said.

Some inscriptions indicate possible words on broken stone-ax pieces (pictured) and six word-like shapes that could be a short sentence.

The findings have not been reviewed by foreign experts, but a group of Chinese scholars on archaeology and ancient writing met last weekend and agreed to call the findings primitive writing.

"They are different from the symbols we have seen in the past on artefacts," Xu said. "The shapes and the fact that they are in a sentence-like pattern indicate they are expressions of some meaning."

However, "I don't think they should be considered writing by the strictest definition," said archaeologist Liu Zhao from Shanghai-based Fudan University. He warned that there was not sufficient material for any conclusion.

 

• china
• liangzhu
• shanghai
• archaeology
• early
• writing