HEAS Talk

We are looking forward to welcoming Ewa Dutkiewicz from Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and Chris Bentz from University of Passau to Vienna for a HEAS Talk on SignBase 2.0: A database for sign sequences on mobile artefacts in the Paleolithic. The talk will take place in SR 5.1 in the UBB at 10:30 on the 19th February 2025.

Abstract: As humans we store and share information outside of our minds. Some first traces of externalized information encoding reach back into the Paleolithic period of c. 400 000 to 15 000 years ago. Starting with the Lower Paleolithic, mobile artefacts are in some cases argued to carry intentional markings. In the Middle Paleolithic and Middle Stone Age, these markings become more frequent and wide spread. In Upper Paleolithic cultures such as the Aurignacian, Gravettian, and Magdalenian sign sequences become systematic in their usage, and an integral part of cultural life. SignBase is a database which collects information on Paleolithic mobile artefacts carrying geometric signs. This allows us to study the fundamental transitions in visual information encoding from the first signs to writing. This talk will present the current structure and status of SignBase 2.0, as well as results of statistical analyses comparing Paleolithic sign sequences with ancient cuneiform and modern day writing.

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EWA and CHRIS __poster