MP Gallery - Markings, Signs, Graphemes; i) krm100sw81

Drawing upon the Early Paleolithic 'interative stroke marks', the Middle Paleolithic symbol makers appear to have innovated a new grapheme, sequences of 'long, object-crossing, parallel lines' mark motif (which I designated Type B iterative stroke marks). Examples include:

• Klasies River Mouth, South Africa, MSA II (MSA I >100,000 BP); bone fragment with 4 parallel equally spaced grooves (Singer and Wymer 1982) [Type B]
• Temnata Cave, Bulgaria, MP/UP transition, c. 50-67,000 BP; schist block incised with two rows of 21 parallel stroke marks per row, with end section possibly broken off (Cremades, Laville, Sirakov and Kozlowski 1995; accepted by D'Errico and Villa 1997). [Type B]
• La Ferrassie, France, c. 60,000; iterative long, parallel lines crossing object, on stone from a burial of a child (Capitan & Peyrony 1921; Marshack 1991) [Type B]
• La Quina, France, 2 pieces of bone with parallel iterative lines and stroke marks (Henri-Martin 1910; non-symbolic, probably for leather thong making, Marshack 1991; Cremades 1996) [Mix of use marks and Type B?; in this case the Type B-like marks do not seem to cross the whole object as in the above examples]

Marshack proposes that the regularity and parallel spacing of such incised lines on the La Quina bone likely results from the cutting of leather to make thongs (Marshack, A. 1991. A reply to Davidson on Mania & Mania. Rock Art Research 8, 47-58; Marshack, A. 1991. The roots of civilization: The cognitive beginnings of man's first art, symbol and notation. New York: Moyer Bell: p. 379). However, this cannot explain either the Temnata or La Ferrassie artifacts in which cross-object lines are engraved on stone. Hence, something else is happening here, and possibly also on one or more of the bone objects so incised.

I suggest, after the New Guinea ritual dibat, whose knotting around a stone object makes it sacred, empowers it with the 'singing seeds of life', ancestral spirit (Hampton, O.W. 1999. Culture of stone: Sacred and profane uses of stone among the Dani. College Station: Texas A&M University Press), may signify something like 'unfolding, empowerment with spirit-soul, and its protection'. Cutting across the entire surface of the object is like giving it a string necklace, giving it life-power and protective power; it makes the whole enspirited.

The example from Klasies River Mouth is shown below. Object #3 has four roughly equally spaced parallel lines crossing the whole surface of the object (Type B motif). Objects # 1 and #2 have serrated edges, hence, belong to a different type of iterative stroke marking motif (Type D, decorative).

Drawing © Ronald Singer and John Wymer. Singer R and J. Wymer. 1982. The Middle Stone Age at Klasies River Mouth in South Africa. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Figure 8.1.