Long before numbers were written down or equations engraved on clay tablets, early farming communities may have been doing math—with colors.
New study published in the journal Journal of World Psychologysuggests that some of the earliest artistic depictions of plants were not simply decorative, but deeply structured, reflecting complex ways of organizing space and symmetry more than 8,000 years ago.
Researchers analyzing ancient pottery from northern Mesopotamia have identified what may be the world's earliest botanical art. These finely painted vessels, made in the Halafian culture, depict flowers, shrubs, branches and trees arranged with striking regularity.
The designs use clear digital circuits, providing rare insight into how prehistoric people thought about order, separation and balance long before formal mathematics existed, according to the study.
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Earliest botanical art in the world
(Image credit: Yosef Garfinkel)
The findings come from an extensive study of pottery found at 29 archaeological sites in northern Mesopotamia, a region associated with some of the world's first agricultural villages. Hundreds of ceramic vessels were analyzed, revealing a surprisingly rich visual vocabulary of plant life.
Unlike before prehistoric artGalafian pottery, which focused on animal or human figures, marks a significant shift. Instead of people and animals, Halafian pottery displays flowers, as well as saplings, shrubs, branches and tall trees. Some images appear more naturalistic, others are abstracted into repetitive forms; all demonstrate thoughtful artistic planning.
“These vessels represent the first moment in history when humans decided to depict the botanical world as a subject worthy of artistic attention. This reflects a cognitive shift associated with rural life and a growing awareness of symmetry and aesthetics,” the study's authors said in the journal. press release.
It is noteworthy that none of the plant images depict edible crops. This absence suggests that the art was not educational or agricultural, but an aesthetic choice—perhaps because flowers were known to evoke positive emotional responses and visual pleasure.
How These Constructions Reveal Early Mathematical Thinking
This research contributes to ethnomathematics, a field that studies how mathematical reasoning emerges through cultural practices rather than through cultural practices. official letter.
These images differ not only in what they depict, but also in how these images are constructed. Many bowls depict flowers, the number of petals of which corresponds to an exact numerical sequence. In some cases, entire surfaces are divided into evenly spaced floral blocks, demonstrating a consistent geometric progression.
The researchers say these patterns are intentional, not random. They reflect the ability to divide space evenly and to think in repetitive, scalable units, which are mathematical skills that are likely to correspond to the daily responsibilities of villagers.
“The ability to evenly divide space, reflected in these floral motifs, likely had practical roots in everyday life, such as dividing crops or distributing public fields,” Yosef Garfinkel said.
What does this discovery tell us about art and mathematics?
Written mathematical systems would not have appeared in Sumer for thousands of years after the pottery examined in this study. This makes Halafian botanical art incredibly important to human history.
“These patterns show that mathematical thinking began long before writing. People visualized separation, sequence and balance through their art,” explained Sarah Krulwich.
By documenting the earliest known botanical images and revealing their mathematical underpinnings, the study reframes our understanding of early village life. These communities were not only involved in agriculture and settlement; they also observed nature, organized their world, and expressed complex ideas through art.
The roots of mathematics were already emerging in the beautiful geometry of painted flowers.
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