Although conventional archaeology claims that writing was not invented until 3000 to 4000 BC in Sumeria, an artifact was found over a decade ago in northern Greece which contradicts this belief.
The Dispilio tablet was discovered by a professor of prehistoric archaeology, George Hourmouziadis, in 1993 in a Neolithic lake settlement in Macedonia near the city of Kastoria.
A group of people used to occupy the settlement 7,000 to 8,000 years ago and the Dispilio tablet was one of many artifacts that were found in the area.
However, the importance of the table lies in the fact that it has an unknown written text on it that goes back further than 5,000 BC.
The wooden tablet was dated using the C12 method to have been made in 5260 BC, making it significantly older than the writing system used by the Sumerians.
The text on the tablet includes a type of engraved writing which probably consists of a form of writing that pre-existed Linear B writing used by the Mycenaean Greeks.
Professor Hourmouziadis has suggested that this type of writing, which has not yet been deciphered, could be any form of communication including symbols representing the counting of possessions.
Decoding the tablet is a near impossible endeavour, unless a new Rosetta stone is found.
According to Ancient Origins, the moment the tablet was removed out of its original environment after its discovery, contact with oxygen started the deterioration process.
The tablet is now under preservation.
It is impressive to think that the wooden tablet had remained at the bottom of the lake for 7,500 years.
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