The Dispilio Tablet
5260 BCE
A wooden tablet discovered in a Neolithic lake dwelling in Greece, carbon dated to 5260 BCE, bears inscribed symbols that some researchers identify as an early form of writing — predating Sumerian cuneiform by over 1,000 years. If genuine writing, it would overturn the established timeline of human literacy. The symbols resemble those of the Vinča culture, which produced thousands of inscribed objects across the Balkans between 5500 and 3500 BCE.