16 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Ancient Mesopotamian Cylinder Seals Offer Clues to the Origin of Writing

Researchers from the University of Bologna have discovered an association between proto-cuneiform and even older stone images engraved on ancient cylinder seals in Uruk, in about 3000 BC. The study found that the origins of writing in Mesopotamia lie in images imprinted on ancient stone cylinder seals.

The world’s earliest writing system is believed to have emerged in the region, now modern-day Iraq, about 3200 BC. Known as cuneiform, the script represented both a sound and a meaning. It was preceded by a simpler system called proto-cuneiform, which was in use from 3350 to 3000 BC.

These cylindrical seals were small stone objects with intricate carvings, rolled over clay tablets to leave an impression. Beginning in the middle of the fourth millennium BC, cylinder seals were employed in Uruk, as a component of an accounting system to monitor the manufacturing, storage, and transportation of a variety of consumer goods, especially textile and agricultural items.

Research published in the journal Antiquity shows links between the proto-cuneiform signs that first appeared in Uruk, one of Mesopotamia’s oldest and most significant cities, around 3000 BCE, and the images engraved on these seals, some of which date back approximately 6,000 years.

Cylindrical seals were small stone objects with intricate carvings, rolled over clay tablets to leave an impression. Photograph of a tablet with signs in proto-cuneiform. Photo Credit: CDLI – Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative
Cylindrical seals were small stone objects with intricate carvings, rolled over clay tablets to leave an impression. Photograph of a tablet with signs in proto-cuneiform. Photo Credit: CDLI – Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative

‘The conceptual leap that allowed the transition from symbolism to actual writing is a fundamental development for human technologies,’ explains Silvia Ferrara, professor in the Department of Classical Philology and Italian Studies at the University of Bologna and lead researcher, who coordinated the research group. ‘The results of this study are a bridging point in the transition from prehistory to history: they show how some images from the still prehistoric era were incorporated into one of the first writing systems devised by man’.

 Silvia Ferrara said images on the seals were used in close association with the first writing. But there is a lot they did not know about the relationship between the two.

“When they began researching this, the researchers expected to find some shared shapes. But they discovered direct parallels between late prehistoric seals and proto-cuneiform signs,” Prof Ferrara said.

Ferrara and her team have discovered a number of recurrent themes on these seals, such as patterns associated with the transportation of textiles and ceramics. The fact that early proto-cuneiform signs share these same themes suggests that the seals’ symbols may have directly influenced or served as inspiration for the proto-cuneiform system.

Proto-cuneiform signs and their precursors on cylindrical seals. Image Credit: K. Kelley et al.
Proto-cuneiform signs and their precursors on cylindrical seals. Image Credit: K. Kelley et al.

The researchers observed that earlier prehistoric seal motifs do not resemble proto-cuneiform icons as much as later prehistoric ones, and gained valuable insights into the time frame of the evolution of symbol traditions that influenced the invention of writing.

Additionally supporting the notion that seal motifs developed from particular administrative functions to a structured writing system is the research team’s methodical comparison of seal motifs with proto-cuneiform signs. A lineage of symbolic representation that developed alongside Mesopotamia’s early urban and economic growth can be seen by following the evolution of these images into proto-cuneiform signs, as co-researchers Kathryn Kelley and Mattia Cartolano point out.

The study was published in Antiquity.

University of Bologna

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2024.165

Cover Image Credit: Franck Raux / GrandPalaisRmn – Musée du Louvre

Related Articles

Medieval subterranean corridors found by accident in northeast Iran

1 October 2022

1 October 2022

The workers working on a routine road construction project near Shahr-e Belqeys (City of Belqeys) in northeast Iran made an...

Ceremonial cave site from Postclassic Maya period discovered in Yucatán Peninsula

21 December 2021

21 December 2021

Archaeologists have discovered a ceremonial cave site in Chemuyil on the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, that dates from the Postclassic Maya...

Ancient rituals recorded on 2,000-year-old bamboo slips deciphered

18 December 2023

18 December 2023

Scholars of China’s Tsinghua University have deciphered five documents recorded on bamboo slips dating back to the Warring States period...

New discoveries found under demolished historic Tawfiq Pasha Andraos Palace in Egypt

31 October 2021

31 October 2021

An Egyptian archaeological mission excavating at the site of the recently demolished Tawfiq Pasha Andraos Palace discovered a number of...

Ancient Roman Road with Porticoes and Rare Artifacts Discovered in Switzerland

6 May 2025

6 May 2025

A major rescue excavation in Kaiseraugst, northern Switzerland, has revealed a substantial Roman road complete with porticoes, alongside poignant infant...

Archaeologists Uncover Sak-Bahlán: The Lost “Land of the White Jaguar,” Last Stronghold of Rebel Maya in Chiapas

31 July 2025

31 July 2025

Deep in the rainforest of Chiapas, Mexico, archaeologists believe they have uncovered the lost city of Sak-Bahlán, known as the...

2,000-year-old Monumental Tomb of Roman Elite discovered in Apollon Smintheus sanctuary in Türkiye

2 January 2024

2 January 2024

A 2,000-year-old monumental tomb from the Roman era has been unearthed at the Apollon Smintheus Sanctuary in the village of...

Archeological study shows unearthed Byzantine warrior had gold-threaded jaw

30 September 2021

30 September 2021

A Byzantine warrior who was beheaded after the Ottomans captured his fort in the 14th century had a jaw threaded...

490-Million-Year-Old Trilobites Could Solve Ancient Geography Puzzle

22 November 2023

22 November 2023

The humble trilobites may be extinct, but even as fossils, they can teach us much about our planet’s history. Indeed,...

The World’s oldest and first swords ever discovered

11 March 2023

11 March 2023

The 5,000-year-old swords found 43 years ago during the excavations in the old mud-brick palace structure in Malatya Arslantepe Mound...

Discovery of 1,500-Year-Old Mosaic at Ancient City of Dara in Mardin, Türkiye

7 July 2025

7 July 2025

According to information provided by Anadolu Agency, archaeologists have recently uncovered a remarkably well-preserved 1,500-year-old mosaic decorated with drop and...

Archaeologists Discover Clay Figurines from Early Iron Age in Ukraine

17 December 2024

17 December 2024

Archaeologists have discovered clay figurines of young bulls from the Early Iron Age near the Metropolitan Chambers in the village...

New research reveals the true function of Bronze Age daggers

30 April 2022

30 April 2022

A new study led by Newcastle University has revealed that the analysis of Bronze Age daggers has shown that they...

Ancient Mosaics Unearthed in İznik Hint at Residence of Roman General

4 August 2025

4 August 2025

A recent archaeological breakthrough in the ancient city of İznik, formerly known as Nicaea, has unveiled richly decorated Roman mosaics...

Remains of a 3,700-year-old domed oven were discovered in the ancient city of Troy

10 September 2022

10 September 2022

Remains of a 3,700-year-old domed oven were found in the ancient city of Troy, located in the Tevfikiye district of Çanakkale...