Université de Bordeaux-led research reports that spatial statistics can discriminate potential Paleolithic Artificial Memory Systems from butchery and art, aligning prehistoric marked objects with memory devices in Africa and Europe.

Humans are highly symbolic creatures, uniquely combining symbolic reference, complex language, physical representations, active intentional teaching, and large-scale cultural learning.

Artificial Memory Systems (AMS) encompass devices that record, store, transmit, and retrieve coded information beyond the brain, via external representations. AMS can be anything from the notches on a gunslinger’s pistol, tracking past success, to the symbols on and data encoded within the Voyager spacecraft’s golden record, detailing a snapshot of Earthling knowledge and culture.