Research: A bone with six similar engravings is ancient evidence of human symbolism

The bone from the Ramla eagle is the oldest known representation of an abstract symbol in the Levant. Dr. Zeidner from the Institute of Archeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, one of the leaders of the research: "It can be said that a bone with a symbolic engraving was found among the oldest in the world, certainly in the Levant"

In the Middle Paleolithic period (250,000-45,000 BC) symbolic engravings on stones or bones were considered a very rare phenomenon. In a new study published by a group of researchers led by Marion Parvo and Dr. Yossi Zeidner from the Institute of Archeology at the Hebrew University, and their partners Dr. Iris Gruman-Yaroslavsky and Ms. Catherine Kreiter-Gerstein from the University of Haifa and from the French Le Center national de la recherche scientifique, published in the journal "Quaternary International", a bone broken on both sides was shown and on it clearly appear six deep, long and parallel engravings, which seem to have had a unique symbolic or spiritual meaning. Surprisingly, the engravings were preserved intact. The bone with the engravings was found at the Nesher Ramla site, located on the western slopes of the Judean Mountains in central Israel. The item, found in a hoard of stone tools and animal bones originating from human activity, has been dated to about 120 years before our time, making it the earliest carved item discovered in the Levant and one of the oldest in the world.

The site in Nesher Ramla was discovered a few years ago during the mining of a regional quarry. From a study published about six years ago in the journal "Journal of Human Evolution" it became clear that this is the site of the members of the Mousterian culture, of hunter-gatherers who lived in the Middle Paleolithic period. According to a reconstruction by the researchers of the site, headed by Dr. Zeidner, it turned out that the site was used as a hunting camp or a meeting place after the hunt, where the hunted animals were slaughtered. The bone on which the lines were engraved is from an ancient species of cow - a relative of the modern cow, an animal that was very common in this area. The initial hypothesis of the researchers was that the engravings on the surface of the bone are not related to the hunting activities of the inhabitants of the place.

The researchers performed an in-depth analysis of the bone and the engravings, and used advanced research methods, which included 42D scanning, and microscopic analysis and experimental production of similar engravings in the laboratory for the study of signs of use at the Zinman Institute for Archeology at the University of Haifa. Dr. Gruman-Yaroslavsky said in this context that "on the basis of controlled experiments carried out in the laboratory, we discovered that microscopic abrasion patterns on the bone indicate that to engrave the bone, the ancients used a worked edge of a tool made of flint." The longest section was 38 mm long, and the shortest - XNUMX mm. The long cut is also the deepest of all, this "because stronger pressure was applied by the engraver." There was a better grip in this position, so the engraver could control the movements and position of his hands - when one hand was required to hold the bone to maintain stability for making the cut", as explained in the article.

The researchers explicitly state in their article that there is no chance that the engravings on the bone are damage caused as a result of the archaeological excavation or the cleaning of the bone, nor damage caused by predators, the slaughter of the animal or the way it was eaten by one of the local residents. While the studied bone contains wide and long U-shaped grooves, cuts made randomly in bones in the field, as a result of animal dissection, were V-shaped, shallow and short and did not appear in clusters of parallel lines.

Also, the researchers state that the engravings were produced by a person who performed the work with his right hand (according to the direction of the engraving). It is important to note that prehistoric populations were mainly right-handed - 90%. The article also claims that "all the cuts have a similar depth and shape and they all end in the same direction, implying the same sequential movement... This may indicate that the engravings were produced by the same person, one after the other, in sequence."

In light of all the findings, the researchers believe that the series of engravings were created intentionally, for non-utilitarian purposes. The options mentioned in the article for making the cuts are - doodles and illustrations, numerical marking and symbolic representation. However, the researchers clarified that "we reject the idea that the cuts on the bone from the Ramla eagle represent scribbles." The act of scribbling is effortless and does not require concentration and attention", and "in very few cases such cuts on the bones were interpreted as numerical marks".

If so, what is the meaning of those engravings? The researchers note that "the production of the engraving is probably related to symbolic behavior. In fact, the bone from the Ramla eagle is the oldest known representation in the Levant of an abstract symbol. The bone was placed in a small circular anthropogenic concentration consisting of several items. It was placed with the cuts facing up, so that the intention was not to hide this object but to highlight it.. We can assume that the choice was actually intentional and perhaps related to the status of the animal that was hunted at the site, similar to the phenomenon observed in Paleoindian groups where there was a spiritual connection between the hunters and their prey." .

Dr. Zeidner concludes: "It can be said that a bone with a symbolic engraving was found among the oldest in the world, certainly in the Levant region. This is one of the earliest evidences of symbolism in the world. It can also be stated that the research has significant implications for our understanding of the emergence and stages of development of human symbolic behavior. On the other hand, to this day it is difficult for us to explain the meaning of these symbols and I hope that in further research we will be able to explain this."

for the scientific article

• The diet of the inhabitants of Ramla 170 thousand years ago: horses, donkeys and even rhinoceroses
• Eight multicellular creatures unknown to science were discovered in a cave in Nesher Quarry in Ramla
• A large and impressive 1,400-year-old well was uncovered in archaeological excavations by the Antiquities Authority in Ramat Ha'il