The Number System of the Old European Script

The oldest (c. 4000 BC) undeciphered language is the Old European Script known from approximately 940 inscribed objects (82% of inscriptions on pottery) found in excavations in the Vinca-Tordos region Transylvania. Also, it is not known for what the script was used, but the prevailing theory is that it had a religious purpose. We note that more than a quarter of the inscriptions are on the bottom of a pot-seemingly a most illogical and inglorious place to pay homage to a deity. Consistent with this, in a survey we performed of pots and containers in modern locations, we could not find a single religious inscription. Here we delineate the number system of the Old European Script, and propose that the Old European Script may have been used for economic purposes. The delineation of the number signs of the Old European Script should facilitate further understanding of the rest of the script and of the Old European culture, especially as new archaeologic findings emerge.