TY - JOUR
T1 - The evolution of early symbolic behavior in Homo sapiens
AU - Tylén, Kristian
AU - Fusaroli, Riccardo
AU - Rojo, Sergio
AU - Heimann, Katrin
AU - Fay, Nicolas
AU - Johannsen, Niels N.
AU - Riede, Felix
AU - Lombard, Marlize
PY - 2020/3/3
Y1 - 2020/3/3
N2 - How did human symbolic behavior evolve? Dating up to about 100,000 y ago, the engraved ochre and ostrich eggshell fragments from the South African Blombos Cave and Diepkloof Rock Shelter provide a unique window into presumed early symbolic traditions of Homo sapiens and how they evolved over a period of more than 30,000 y. Using the engravings as stimuli, we report five experiments which suggest that the engravings evolved adaptively, becoming better-suited for human perception and cognition. More specifically, they became more salient, memorable, reproducible, and expressive of style and human intent. However, they did not become more discriminable over time between or within the two archeological sites. Our observations provide support for an account of the Blombos and Diepkloof engravings as decorations and as socially transmitted cultural traditions. By contrast, there was no clear indication that they served as denotational symbolic signs. Our findings have broad implications for our understanding of early symbolic communication and cognition in H. sapiens.
AB - How did human symbolic behavior evolve? Dating up to about 100,000 y ago, the engraved ochre and ostrich eggshell fragments from the South African Blombos Cave and Diepkloof Rock Shelter provide a unique window into presumed early symbolic traditions of Homo sapiens and how they evolved over a period of more than 30,000 y. Using the engravings as stimuli, we report five experiments which suggest that the engravings evolved adaptively, becoming better-suited for human perception and cognition. More specifically, they became more salient, memorable, reproducible, and expressive of style and human intent. However, they did not become more discriminable over time between or within the two archeological sites. Our observations provide support for an account of the Blombos and Diepkloof engravings as decorations and as socially transmitted cultural traditions. By contrast, there was no clear indication that they served as denotational symbolic signs. Our findings have broad implications for our understanding of early symbolic communication and cognition in H. sapiens.
UR - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339341813_The_evolution_of_early_symbolic_behavior_in_Homo_sapiens
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1910880117
DO - 10.1073/pnas.1910880117
M3 - Article
C2 - 32071236
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 117
SP - 4578
EP - 4584
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
IS - 9
ER -