[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.76,0:00:02.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's something about caves --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.56,0:00:08.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a shadowy opening in a limestone\Ncliff that draws you in.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.80,0:00:13.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As you pass through the portal\Nbetween light and dark,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.48,0:00:16.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you enter a subterranean world --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.04,0:00:21.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a place of perpetual gloom,\Nof earthy smells, of hushed silence.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.80,0:00:24.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Long ago in Europe,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.16,0:00:27.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ancient people also entered\Nthese underground worlds.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.64,0:00:29.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As witness to their passage,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.08,0:00:32.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they left behind mysterious\Nengravings and paintings,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.76,0:00:39.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like this panel of humans, triangles\Nand zigzags from Ojo Guareña in Spain.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.00,0:00:43.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You now walk the same path\Nas these early artists.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.80,0:00:46.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in this surreal, otherworldly place,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.84,0:00:48.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's almost possible to imagine
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.76,0:00:53.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you hear the muffled footfall\Nof skin boots on soft earth,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.32,0:00:56.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or that you see the flickering of a torch\Naround the next bend.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.60,0:00:58.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I'm in a cave,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.00,0:01:05.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I often find myself wondering\Nwhat drove these people to go so deep
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.12,0:01:08.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to brave dangerous and narrow\Npassageways to leave their mark?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.84,0:01:10.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In this video clip,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.08,0:01:13.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that was shot half a kilometer,\Nor about a third of a mile, underground,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.48,0:01:15.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the cave of Cudon in Spain,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.64,0:01:18.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we found a series\Nof red paintings on a ceiling
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.12,0:01:21.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a previously unexplored\Nsection of the cave.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.08,0:01:25.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As we crawled forward, military-style,\Nwith the ceiling getting ever lower,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.76,0:01:28.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we finally got to a point\Nwhere the ceiling was so low
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.00,0:01:31.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that my husband\Nand project photographer, Dylan,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.28,0:01:35.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,could no longer achieve focus\Non the ceiling with his DSLR camera.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.44,0:01:37.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So while he filmed me,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.12,0:01:40.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I kept following the trail of red paint\Nwith a single light
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.44,0:01:43.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a point-and-shoot camera\Nthat we kept for that type of occasion.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.68,0:01:47.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Half a kilometer underground.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.48,0:01:49.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Seriously.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.84,0:01:52.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What was somebody doing down there\Nwith a torch or a stone lamp?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.86,0:01:54.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.08,0:01:55.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean -- me, it makes sense, right?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.00,0:01:57.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But you know,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.24,0:02:01.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this is the kind of question that\NI'm trying to answer with my research.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.08,0:02:03.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I study some of the oldest\Nart in the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.56,0:02:06.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was created by these\Nearly artists in Europe,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.88,0:02:09.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.48,0:02:12.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the thing is
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.72,0:02:15.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I'm not just studying it\Nbecause it's beautiful,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.24,0:02:16.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,though some of it certainly is.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.52,0:02:21.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But what I'm interested in\Nis the development of the modern mind,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.52,0:02:26.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the evolution of creativity,\Nof imagination, of abstract thought,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.48,0:02:28.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about what it means to be human.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.12,0:02:34.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,While all species communicate\Nin one way or another,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.32,0:02:37.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,only we humans have really\Ntaken it to another level.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.92,0:02:40.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Our desire and ability\Nto share and collaborate
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.52,0:02:43.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has been a huge part of our success story.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.20,0:02:48.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Our modern world is based on a global\Nnetwork of information exchange
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.04,0:02:52.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,made possible, in large part,\Nby our ability to communicate --
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.08,0:02:56.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in particular, using graphic\Nor written forms of communication.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.52,0:02:57.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The thing is, though,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.80,0:03:00.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we've been building\Non the mental achievements
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.36,0:03:03.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of those that came before us for so long
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.44,0:03:07.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that it's easy to forget that certain\Nabilities haven't already existed.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.76,0:03:11.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's one of the things\NI find most fascinating
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.16,0:03:13.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about studying our deep history.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.76,0:03:17.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Those people didn't have the shoulders\Nof any giants to stand on.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.88,0:03:20.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They were the original shoulders.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.36,0:03:23.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And while a surprising number\Nof important inventions
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.28,0:03:25.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,come out of that distant time,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.20,0:03:29.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what I want to talk to you about today\Nis the invention of graphic communication.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.68,0:03:32.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are three\Nmain types of communication,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.88,0:03:36.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,spoken, gestural --\Nso things like sign language --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.28,0:03:38.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and graphic communication.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.60,0:03:42.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Spoken and gestural are\Nby their very nature ephemeral.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.28,0:03:46.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It requires close contact\Nfor a message to be sent and received.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.24,0:03:50.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And after the moment\Nof transmission, it's gone forever.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.20,0:03:54.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Graphic communication, on the other hand,\Ndecouples that relationship.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.20,0:03:58.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And with its invention,\Nit became possible for the first time
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.20,0:04:01.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for a message to be\Ntransmitted and preserved
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.08,0:04:04.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,beyond a single moment in place and time.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.80,0:04:06.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Europe is one of the first places
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.60,0:04:09.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we start to see graphic marks\Nregularly appearing
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.32,0:04:13.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in caves, rock shelters\Nand even a few surviving open-air sites.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.24,0:04:16.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this is not the Europe we know today.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.80,0:04:19.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This was a world dominated\Nby towering ice sheets,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.80,0:04:21.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,three to four kilometers high,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.80,0:04:25.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with sweeping grass plains\Nand frozen tundra.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.08,0:04:27.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This was the Ice Age.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.08,0:04:29.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Over the last century,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.40,0:04:34.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more than 350 Ice Age rock art sites\Nhave been found across the continent,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.72,0:04:39.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,decorated with animals, abstract shapes\Nand even the occasional human
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.12,0:04:42.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like these engraved figures\Nfrom Grotta dell'Addaura in Sicily.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.76,0:04:44.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They provide us with a rare glimpse
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.84,0:04:48.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into the creative world and imagination\Nof these early artists.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.84,0:04:51.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Since their discovery,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:51.24,0:04:54.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's been the animals that have received\Nthe majority of the study
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.20,0:04:57.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like this black horse\Nfrom Cullalvera in Spain,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.40,0:05:01.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or this unusual purple bison\Nfrom La Pasiega.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.88,0:05:08.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But for me, it was the abstract shapes,\Nwhat we call geometric signs,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.28,0:05:09.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that drew me to study the art.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.24,0:05:13.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The funny this is that at most sites
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.56,0:05:18.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the geometric signs far outnumber\Nthe animal and human images.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.08,0:05:21.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But when I started on this back in 2007,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.28,0:05:25.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there wasn't even a definitive list\Nof how many shapes there were,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.28,0:05:26.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,nor was there a strong sense
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.64,0:05:29.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of whether the same ones\Nappeared across space or time.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.12,0:05:35.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Before I could even\Nget started on my questions,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.24,0:05:37.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my first step was to compile a database
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.36,0:05:41.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of all known geometric signs\Nfrom all of the rock art sites.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.28,0:05:44.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The problem was that while they were\Nwell documented at some sites,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:44.88,0:05:47.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,usually the ones\Nwith the very nice animals,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.20,0:05:50.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there was also a large number of them\Nwhere it was very vague --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.88,0:05:53.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there wasn't a lot\Nof description or detail.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.16,0:05:56.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some of them hadn't been visited\Nin half a century or more.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:56.52,0:05:59.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These were the ones\Nthat I targeted for my field work.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.96,0:06:01.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Over the course of two years,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.84,0:06:07.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my faithful husband Dylan and I\Neach spent over 300 hours underground,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.08,0:06:11.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hiking, crawling and wriggling\Naround 52 sites
Dialogue: 0,0:06:11.08,0:06:14.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in France, Spain, Portugal and Sicily.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.04,0:06:15.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it was totally worth it.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.92,0:06:22.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We found new, undocumented geometric signs\Nat 75 percent of the sites we visited.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:22.68,0:06:25.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is the level of accuracy\NI knew I was going to need
Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.52,0:06:28.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if I wanted to start answering\Nthose larger questions.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.72,0:06:31.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So let's get to those answers.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.32,0:06:35.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Barring a handful of outliers,\Nthere are only 32 geometric signs.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.96,0:06:37.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Only 32 signs
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.80,0:06:43.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,across a 30,000-year time span\Nand the entire continent of Europe.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.72,0:06:46.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That is a very small number.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.32,0:06:48.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, if these were random\Ndoodles or decorations,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.80,0:06:51.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we would expect to see\Na lot more variation,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.24,0:06:53.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but instead what we find\Nare the same signs
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.68,0:06:56.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,repeating across both space and time.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:56.92,0:07:00.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some signs start out strong,\Nbefore losing popularity and vanishing,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:00.84,0:07:03.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while other signs are later inventions.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.20,0:07:08.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But 65 percent of those signs stayed\Nin use during that entire time period --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.84,0:07:13.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,things like lines, rectangles\Ntriangles, ovals and circles
Dialogue: 0,0:07:13.16,0:07:15.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like we see here\Nfrom the end of the Ice Age,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.33,0:07:19.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at a 10,000-year-old site\Nhigh in the Pyrenees Mountains.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.28,0:07:22.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And while certain signs\Nspan thousands of kilometers,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.52,0:07:25.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,other signs had much more\Nrestricted distribution patterns,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.52,0:07:27.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with some being limited\Nto a single territory,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:27.96,0:07:30.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like we see here\Nwith these divided rectangles
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.16,0:07:32.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that are only found in northern Spain,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.40,0:07:34.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and which some researchers have speculated
Dialogue: 0,0:07:34.48,0:07:36.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,could be some sort\Nof family or clan signs.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:37.88,0:07:39.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On a side note,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:39.28,0:07:42.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there is surprising degree\Nof similarity in the earliest rock art
Dialogue: 0,0:07:42.72,0:07:47.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,found all the way from France and Spain\Nto Indonesia and Australia.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.32,0:07:51.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,With many of the same signs\Nappearing in such far-flung places,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:51.64,0:07:54.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,especially in that 30,000\Nto 40,000-year range,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.64,0:07:57.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's starting to seem increasingly likely
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.52,0:08:02.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that this invention actually traces back\Nto a common point of origin in Africa.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.40,0:08:05.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that I'm afraid,\Nis a subject for a future talk.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.04,0:08:06.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So back to the matter at hand.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:06.88,0:08:10.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There could be no doubt that these signs\Nwere meaningful to their creators,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.88,0:08:13.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like these 25,000-year-old\Nbas-relief sculptures
Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.72,0:08:16.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from La Roque de Venasque in France.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:16.36,0:08:20.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We might not know what they meant,\Nbut the people of the time certainly did.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:21.76,0:08:27.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The repetition of the same signs,\Nfor so long, and at so many sites
Dialogue: 0,0:08:27.84,0:08:31.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tells us that the artists\Nwere making intentional choices.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.80,0:08:34.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If we're talking about geometric shapes,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.20,0:08:38.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with specific, culturally recognized,\Nagreed-upon meanings,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.96,0:08:40.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than we could very well be looking
Dialogue: 0,0:08:40.64,0:08:45.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at one of the oldest systems\Nof graphic communication in the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.20,0:08:47.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm not talking about writing yet.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.12,0:08:49.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's just not enough\Ncharacters at this point
Dialogue: 0,0:08:49.48,0:08:52.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to have represented all of the words\Nin the spoken language,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.36,0:08:55.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,something which is a requirement\Nfor a full writing system.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:55.20,0:08:57.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nor do we see the signs\Nrepeating regularly enough
Dialogue: 0,0:08:57.60,0:09:00.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to suggest that they were\Nsome sort of alphabet.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.28,0:09:03.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But what we do have\Nare some intriguing one-offs,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:03.12,0:09:07.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like this panel from La Pasiega in Spain,\Nknown as "The Inscription,"
Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.72,0:09:10.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with its symmetrical markings on the left,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:10.28,0:09:13.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,possible stylized representations\Nof hands in the middle,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:13.52,0:09:15.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and what looks a bit\Nlike a bracket on the right.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:17.08,0:09:19.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The oldest systems of graphic\Ncommunication in the world --
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.96,0:09:24.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sumerian cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphs,\Nthe earliest Chinese script,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.92,0:09:28.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all emerged between 4,000\Nand 5,000 years ago,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:28.52,0:09:31.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with each coming into existence\Nfrom an earlier protosystem
Dialogue: 0,0:09:31.68,0:09:35.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,made up of counting marks\Nand pictographic representations,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:35.24,0:09:37.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where the meaning\Nand the image were the same.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:37.64,0:09:41.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So a picture of a bird would really\Nhave represented that animal.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.88,0:09:46.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's only later that we start to see\Nthese pictographs become more stylized,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:46.64,0:09:48.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,until they almost become unrecognizable
Dialogue: 0,0:09:49.00,0:09:52.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that we also start to see\Nmore symbols being invented
Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.04,0:09:54.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to represent all those other\Nmissing words in language --
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.96,0:09:57.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,things like pronouns, adverbs, adjectives.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:58.16,0:09:59.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So knowing all this,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:59.72,0:10:03.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it seems highly unlikely that\Nthe geometric signs from Ice Age Europe
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.60,0:10:06.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were truly abstract written characters.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:06.32,0:10:08.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead, what's much more likely
Dialogue: 0,0:10:08.56,0:10:12.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that these early artists\Nwere also making counting marks,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:12.56,0:10:16.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,maybe like this row of lines\Nfrom Riparo di Za Minic in Sicily,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:16.60,0:10:19.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as well as creating\Nstylized representations
Dialogue: 0,0:10:19.24,0:10:21.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of things from the world around them.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:21.76,0:10:24.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Could some of the signs\Nbe weaponry or housing?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:24.40,0:10:28.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or what about celestial objects\Nlike star constellations?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:28.56,0:10:33.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or maybe even rivers, mountains,\Ntrees -- landscape features,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:33.20,0:10:37.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,possibly like this black penniform\Nsurrounded by strange bell-shaped signs
Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.60,0:10:40.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the site of El Castillo in Spain.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:40.20,0:10:43.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The term penniform\Nmeans "feather-shaped" in Latin,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:43.52,0:10:47.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but could this actually be\Na depiction of a plant or a tree?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:47.72,0:10:50.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some researchers have begun\Nto ask these questions
Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.72,0:10:53.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about certain signs at specific sites,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:53.64,0:10:58.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I believe the time has come\Nto revisit this category as a whole.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:58.56,0:11:00.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The irony in all of this, of course,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:00.32,0:11:04.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that having just carefully classified\Nall of the signs into a single category,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:04.64,0:11:08.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I have a feeling that my next step\Nwill involve breaking it back apart
Dialogue: 0,0:11:08.16,0:11:12.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as different types of imagery\Nare identified and separated off.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:12.44,0:11:13.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now don't get me wrong,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:13.68,0:11:16.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the later creation\Nof fully developed writing
Dialogue: 0,0:11:16.32,0:11:18.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was an impressive feat in its own right.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:18.96,0:11:20.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it's important to remember
Dialogue: 0,0:11:20.44,0:11:23.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that those early writing systems\Ndidn't come out of a vacuum.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:23.76,0:11:25.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that even 5,000 years ago,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:25.76,0:11:29.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people were already building\Non something much older,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:29.12,0:11:32.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with its origins stretching back\Ntens of thousands of years --
Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.88,0:11:36.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the geometric signs\Nof Ice Age Europe and far beyond,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:37.00,0:11:40.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to that point, deep\Nin our collective history,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.32,0:11:44.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when someone first came up with the idea\Nof making a graphic mark,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.40,0:11:47.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and forever changed the nature\Nof how we communicate.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.36,0:11:48.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:48.60,0:11:52.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)