A fascinating New Scientist iconographic, showing the archaic symbols that appear to have been used in-common by prehistoric cultures around the world. Possibly most are the result of mimicry of common natural forms, in combination with the limitations of very similar types of early tools. But they also tantalisingly suggest a shared mental ‘vocabulary’ of the environment. One wonders if these symbols can also be traced through into the historic era, via a study of the symbols of frontier hunters and trappers, nomad bands etc, something which might be discovered by scouring the 19th and early 20th century ethnography?

from “Hidden Symbols”, 12th November 2016.