The Origins of Numbers May Lie in 20,000-Year-Old Bone Markings
The Origins of Numbers May Lie in 20,000-Year-Old Bone Markings
Researchers studying prehistoric artifacts believe the earliest evidence of humans recording numbers may lie in simple bone markings made up to 20,000 years ago.
The study, led by Lloyd Austin Courtenay and published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, explores how these marks could reveal the origins of numerical thinking.
Simple marks, complex meaning
The research examines “artificial memory systems,” or AMSs—objects engraved with repeated marks believed to store information outside the human mind. These marks are found on bones, antlers, and sticks dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period. Some artifacts carry hundreds of lines, carefully spaced and organized.
Such markings may have allowed early humans to record quantities, track events, or communicate basic messages. Courtenay’s team says this behavior represents an important shift: from relying only on memory to using physical objects to record ideas. This change likely shaped how humans learned, shared knowledge, and built complex societies.
Clues from ancient bones
The study analyzed 22 artifacts from across Africa and Europe, some of which date as far back as 1.7 million years. These included bones with butchery marks, artistic engravings, and sequential incisions thought to represent counts or tallies.
By comparing the spacing and orientation of the marks, researchers could separate utilitarian cuts from deliberate recording systems.
Artifacts with evenly spaced, perpendicular marks stood out. These patterns were distinct from random butchery traces or decorative carvings. According to Courtenay, this regularity suggests intentional design — possibly to represent numerical sequences or quantities.
From tally sticks to counting
Similar systems appear in later cultures worldwide. Medieval English tally sticks recorded taxes, while Aboriginal Australian message sticks tracked journeys or events. Remarkably, these modern examples share striking similarities with Paleolithic markings. Both use repetitive notches and structured layouts to convey information.
This continuity suggests that early humans may have developed basic counting methods long before the emergence of formal writing systems. The first known writing dates to about 3,400 BCE in Mesopotamia, but these bone markings predate that by tens of thousands of years.
What the marks reveal about human thought
The findings raise questions about when humans first began understanding numbers. While nonhuman animals can recognize small quantities, symbolic counting—the ability to assign marks or words to numbers—appears to be unique to humans. The bone markings may represent an early step toward this ability.
Researchers caution, however, that not every mark was necessarily numerical. Some may have tracked time, listed events, or symbolized rituals rather than specific counts. Yet the presence of organized sequences shows a leap in abstract thinking and cultural memory.
A window into early cognition
Courtenay’s team used advanced statistical tools to study the markings, focusing on their spacing and patterns. This method avoids subjective judgments and helps confirm whether a set of marks was intentional rather than accidental.
The results suggest that these artifacts functioned as memory devices—precursors to calendars, tallies, or even proto-mathematical records.
The study highlights how simple incisions on bone could mark a turning point in human history. By transforming physical objects into tools for memory, early humans may have laid the groundwork for counting, writing, and modern mathematics.