This editorial discusses how genomic studies are being used to understand the origins of language in humans. Researchers are attempting to pinpoint the earliest divergence in modern human populations, specifically between the Khoisan people of southern Africa and the rest, to establish a lower bound for when linguistic capacity developed – at least 135,000 years ago. The article highlights the difficulty in reconstructing very old languages, pointing out that many early languages are "known unknowables," lost to time. It acknowledges the distinction between linguistic capacity and fully formed language, suggesting the former may have predated the latter.
Archaeologists have discovered an ancient human settlement in Tajikistan that dates back approximately 150,000 years.
Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan have discovered a multi-layered archaeological site in the Zeravshan Valley of Tajikistan. The site, named Soii Havzak, contains artifacts dating back as far as 150,000 years, making it a significant find for understanding early human settlements and migrations in Central Asia.
The discovery suggests that the Zeravshan Valley, known historically as a Silk Road route, was an important migration corridor for human species like Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans.
Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan have discovered a multi-layered archaeological site in the Zeravshan Valley of Tajikistan. The site, named Soii Havzak, contains artifacts dating back as far as 150,000 years, making it a significant find for understanding early human settlements and migrations in Central Asia.
The discovery suggests that the Zeravshan Valley, known historically as a Silk Road route, was an important migration corridor for human species like Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans.
A study published by a multidisciplinary team of researchers proposes that the wheel originated in Neolithic mines of the Carpathian Mountains around 3900 B.C. The study, based on computational mechanical analysis, outlines a three-phase technological evolution of the wheel from free rollers to fixed-axle wheel design.
A new study suggests that the wheel may have been invented by copper miners in the Carpathian Mountains around 3900 B.C., using techniques from structural mechanics to trace the evolution of the wheel and axle.
The Sumerian language was the first to have a written form around 3500 BCE, using a system called cuneiform. This script evolved over time, and was later used by other languages like Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian.
Excavations in Turkey have revealed a previously unknown Anatolian-Indo-European language, Kalašma, dating back around 3,000 years. The language is similar to Luwian and has been deciphered by researchers from the University of Worzburg and Istanbul University.
A simple and beautiful listing of the World’s Writing Systems. You can sort by time (proto-cuneiform to Toto), region, name (Adlam to Zou), and whether the scripts are living or historical
