Prehistoric carvings are oldest known story sequence
An 11,000-year-old carving in Turkey is the earliest known portrayal of a narrative scene1.
Archaeologists have uncovered other etched images in southeastern Turkey from the Neolithic period, which in the Near East stretched roughly from 10,000 BC to 7,000 BC and includes the transition from nomadic life to settlements. But, unlike previously identified images, the latest discovery consists of two adjacent panels with a progressing storyline.
Eylem Özdoğan at Istanbul University in Turkey found the panels carved on the side of a limestone bench while excavating a building at the Sayburç archaeological site. The right panel features a male figure facing forwards, its shape protruding from the flat surface. The individual is flanked on each side by a leopard gazing towards it. In the left panel, another male figure holds a snake or rattle while approaching a bull.
Because the panels sit side by side and portray similar narratives — people encountering dangerous animals — they probably represent a progressing scene from a story. The author says that these works are the first known examples of an extended narrative.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-04338-4
References
Özdoğan, E. Antiquity https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2022.125 (2022).
