The First Known Writing in the History of Homo sapiens Now Deciphered

Messages as old as 25000 years found in Stone Age cave art have been understood and interpreted by an amateur archaeologist, Ben Bacon. Experts describe it as the first known writing in the history of Homo sapiens. The Times reported that Ben Bacon, who worked as a furniture restorer during the day, spent his evenings studying images of cave art. In a journal paper, it is stated that his hobby led to the "first particular reading of European Upper Palaeolithic communication." The code inscriptions that Bacon, 67, cracked can be found in up to 400 caves throughout Europe dating back up to 25,000 years. Since it was first uncovered some 150 years ago, the writing has baffled scientists. Bacon hypothesized that paleolithic hunters and gatherers would have used codes in the cave drawings of bulls, horses, aurochs, and stags to record information about the animals they had to kill to survive, detailing their breeding cycle based on the lunar cycle commencing in spring. Four dots or lines, for instance, would denote the fourth month after the start of spring if a line or dot were used to symbolize months. The journal article claims that a sign resembling the letter Y was then employed to denote "to give birth," and the placement of the Y among the dots or lines would indicate a due date. According to Professor Paul Pettitt of Durham, sharing knowledge of their prey's mating season would have been crucial information for the Stone Age hunters because it indicated that sizable herds of animals would be forming.