Ancient Trade Symbols on Cylinder Seals: Key to Proto-Cuneiform and the Roots of Writing
Researchers studying the roots of writing have highlighted the role of ancient trade symbols found on cylinder seals in Mesopotamia as key influencers of early script development. A recent study by Kathryn Kelley and Mattia Cartolano from the University of Bologna suggests that engravings on these cylindrical seals, used for marking clay in trade exchanges, may have evolved into signs used in the earliest form of writing, known as proto-cuneiform. Dating to around 4400 B.C., these seals show motifs linked to the movement of goods like textiles and jars, indicating a trade-based origin for written symbols. From Trade Marks to Proto-Cuneiform The study notes that cylinder seals, rolled across clay tablets, left impressions that likely authenticated transactions, laying the groundwork for a system of recording information. The seals examined include symbols predating formal writing by more than a millennium. These motifs—such as those depicting structures or vessels—likely became foun
