Christopher Henshilwood and Francesco d’Errico
Is this 100,000-year-old hashtag the first humanmade symbol—or just a pretty decoration?
By Michael Erard Apr. 20, 2018 , 11:15 AM
TORUŃ, POLAND—About 100,000 years ago, ancient humans started etching lines and hashtag patterns onto red rocks in a South African cave. Such handiwork has been cited as the first sign our species could make symbols—distinct marks that stand for some meaning—and thus evidence of a sophisticated mind. But a new study, reported here this week at Evolang, a biannual conference on the evolution of language, finds that these markings and others like them lack key characteristics of symbols. Instead, they may have been more for decoration or enjoyment.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/04/100000-year-old-hashtag-first-human-symbol-or-just-pretty-decoration
