Pictographs from neolithic China may offer clue to words

Since parts of the Liangzhu site was discovered 80 years ago, more than 630 pictographs have been found on unearthed jade artifacts, pottery pieces and stoneware, including those with shapes similar to the English letters X and Y. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"To some extend, decoding the pictographs is more important than the discovery of dams and the ancient city," Chen said at a forum last week in Hangzhou, adding that archaeologists needed to find out if those were the origin of words in China.

The forum was organized by Zhejiang Provincial Archaeological Research Institute and Liangzhu Museum.

Liangzhu culture is known for its abundant jade artifacts unearthed and a city that is regarded as the capital of an ancient kingdom. In March, unveiling of a hydraulic project comprising 11 dams dating back to 5,000 years offered more evidence of the existence of the ancient civilization. But weather those were words of the neolithic civilization is the question.

A book Pictography of Liangzhu Culture was released in September. It has 656 symbols and marks that appear on items unearthed during the period of that culture. Many photos in the book show several pictographs appearing on a single pottery piece. The book was compiled by Liangzhu Museum in Hangzhou.