MP Gallery - Markings, Signs, Graphemes; p) oldisleben120bednarik2

Middle Paleolithic symbol makers placed their motifs in pairs, aggregates, and other combinations. Such objects have been found at Tata, Hungary; Axlor, Spain; Blombos Cave, South Africa; Kebara Cave, Israel; Quneitra, Israel, and Koonalda Cave, Australia. Image below from

• Oldisleben 1, Germany, Micoquian, c. 120,000 BP (Bednarik 2004 in press)

"The earliest figurative image known in the world, from the Micoquian of Oldisleben, Germany [c. 120,000 years old]" (Bednarik, R. Portable engravings. http://mc2.vicnet.net.au/home/portable/web/engavings.html).

Comment (James Harrod): If arrow or dart, this prefigures the many dart motifs in European Upper Paleolithic art. Shape like an arrow or dart on or emerging from another shape(broken). If the partial pattern symmetry was continued, and in the light of MP geometric shape symbolism, this other shape may have been a pentagon or hexagon.

Photo © Robert Bednarik. Bednarik, R. 2004 in press.
Image at http://mc2.vicnet.net.au/home/portable/web/engavings.html