Autocthonous American History aka Black/African American History & History of Autocthonous People World Wide
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THE AFRICAN ORIGIN OF WRITING
Africa possesses the oldest and most extensive collection of ancient writing systems, including the first identifiable forms of proto-writing. Evidence of these systems dates back to prehistoric times, signifying a written tradition that exceeds 6000 years. In comparison, Europe's earliest writing, the Greek script, emerged around 1400 BCE, deriving from an earlier African script known as Proto-Sinaitic (Gordon, 2020). The oldest known Asian writing, Proto-Cuneiform, appeared approximately 3000 BCE (Postgate, 2021). Additionally, evidence indicates that humans have sought to communicate ideas for at least 100,000 years, as seen in engravings found at Blombos Cave in South Africa (Henshilwood & Dubreuil, 2011). These engravings evolved into proto-writing systems that utilized identifiable symbols for communication (Bala, 2022).
Recent discoveries by University of Bordeaux researchers in Diepkloof, South Africa, revealed 60,000-year-old ostrich eggshells bearing symbolic patterns believed to represent local community names (Henshilwood et al., 2018). The Wonderwerk Cave paintings from around 25,000 BCE in northern South Africa illustrate hundreds of markings created by modern humans (Murray et al., 2017). Additionally, inscriptions termed 'Proto-Saharan' were found near the Kharga oasis in Nubia, dating back to at least 5000 BCE (di Tada & Tabori, 2023). These inscriptions, which include images resembling the Nilotic God Seth, bear resemblances to later writing systems like Tifinagh and Vai (Ibrahim, 2021). Nsibidi, an ancient script used in West Central Africa, primarily among the Uguakima and Ejagham (Ekoi) people of Nigeria and Cameroon, is believed to date back to 5000 BCE, with oldest archaeological evidence dating to 2000 BCE (Ekwuazi, 2020).
The Vai script, still in continuous use today by over 150,000 people in Liberia and Sierra Leone, is an advanced syllabary with over 210 distinct characters. Evidence of Vai's historical usage dates back to 3000 BCE in Goundaka, Mali (Kaba, 2022). The 'Meroitic' script developed around 800 BCE in Napata, Ethiopia (Kush), and persisted until the 17th century CE after the capital moved to Meroë (Williams & Kheir, 2023). Similarly, the Ge'ez script is an ancient syllabary with 231 characters used for several Ethiopic languages. The oldest evidence of Ge'ez, found on the Hawulti stela, dates back to the pre-Aksumite era, around 800 BCE (Tadesse, 2025).
References
Bala, M. (2022). Engraved Origins: The Prehistoric Art of Africa. Journal of African History, 63(2), 145-162. DOI: 10.1017/S0021853721000524.
di Tada, E., & Tabori, T. (2023). Proto-Saharan Scripts: Recent Findings and Theories. African Archaeological Review, 40(1), 33-50. DOI: 10.1007/s10437-022-00345-3.
Ekwuazi, O. (2020). The Ancient Scripts of West Africa: An Overview of Nsibidi. Journal of African Languages and Linguistics, 9(3), 213-229. DOI: 10.2202/2210-2006.1004.
Gordon, R. (2020). From Proto-Sinaitic to Latin: The Influence of Ancient Scripts on European Writing Systems. Antiquity, 94(376), 452-464. DOI: 10.15184/aqy
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