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A study published in the Journal of World Prehistory suggests that some of the earliest known images of plants created by humans served a deeper purpose than decoration. According to the researchers, these ancient designs also reveal early mathematical thinking.
By closely examining prehistoric pottery, Prof. Yosef Garfinkel and Sarah Krulwich of the Hebrew University traced the oldest consistent use of plant imagery in human art to more than 8,000 years ago. The pottery comes from the Halafian culture of northern Mesopotamia (c. 6200-5500 BCE). Their findings show that early farming communities carefully painted flowers, shrubs, branches, and trees, arranging them in ways that reflect deliberate geometric structure and numerical order.
Botanical Imagery Enters Prehistoric Art
In earlier periods, prehistoric artists mainly depicted people and animals. Halafian pottery marks a turning point, introducing plants as a recurring and thoughtfully designed subject in visual culture.
The researchers examined artifacts from 29 archaeological sites and recorded hundreds of plant motifs. Some were drawn in a realistic style, while others were more abstract, but all showed intentional design rather than random ornamentation.
“These vessels represent the first moment in history when people chose to portray the botanical world as a subject worthy of artistic attention,” the authors note. “It reflects a cognitive shift tied to village life and a growing awareness of symmetry and aesthetics.”
Hidden Numerical Patterns in Floral Designs
One of the most notable discoveries involves the way flowers were arranged on the pottery. Many bowls display floral patterns with petal numbers that follow clear numerical sequences, including 4, 8, 16, 32, and even groupings of 64 flowers.
The researchers argue that these patterns were planned rather than accidental and indicate an advanced understanding of how to divide space evenly. This type of reasoning appears thousands of years before the first written numerical systems.
“The ability to divide space evenly, reflected in these floral motifs, likely had practical roots in daily life, such as sharing harvests or allocating communal fields,” Garfinkel explains.
This research contributes to the growing field of ethnomathematics, which explores how mathematical ideas are expressed through cultural practices and artistic traditions.
A Broad Range of Plant Motifs
The pottery designs reflect a wide variety of plant forms, including:
- Flowers with carefully balanced petals
- Seedlings and shrubs depicted with clear botanical features
- Branches arranged in repeating, rhythmic patterns
- Large trees sometimes shown alongside animals or architectural elements
Interestingly, none of the images portray edible plants. This absence suggests the designs were not meant to document agriculture or ritual practices. Instead, the authors suggest the emphasis on flowers may relate to their association with positive emotional responses, making them especially appealing subjects for decoration.
Rethinking the Origins of Mathematics
Although written mathematical records appear much later in Sumer, the Halafian pottery points to an earlier and more intuitive form of mathematical reasoning. This reasoning relied on symmetry, repetition, and visual organization rather than written symbols.
“These patterns show that mathematical thinking began long before writing,” Krulwich says. “People visualized divisions, sequences, and balance through their art.”
By systematically documenting these plant-based designs and uncovering their mathematical structure, the study provides fresh insight into how early societies perceived nature, organized shared spaces, and demonstrated complex cognitive abilities long before formal mathematics emerged.
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