Ishango bone - African calendar - 20,000 B.C:

[www.simonsingh.net]

That is just an aside really, but main thing I was objecting to was the incorrect assumption (still often quoted as if true) that:

a) Writing originated in Mesopotamia.

b) It diffused from there to other places.

As we can see, symbolic art is much older than the civilisations of Sumer and Egypt, and in fact the 4th millenium B.C. is relatively late in the neolithic agricultural revolution.

But the first thing that can really be honestly called a writing system is these new Egyptian seals from Abydos IMHO.

Dave Light

The Journal of Ancient Egyptian Architecture JAEA:
[egyptian-architecture.com]
[glasgow.academia.edu]
[egyptology-scotland.squarespace.com]
Dave's Archaeology Homepage:
[arkysite.wordpress.com]