By Karen Cantú

Long before alphabets, emojis, or logos shaped our visual world, early humans began carving meaning into bone. The impulse to create symbols — marks that carry ideas beyond their physical form — is one of humanity’s oldest and most enduring traits. Recent archaeological discoveries reveal that this began far earlier than once thought, with a bone that archaeologists say was etched 120,000 years ago.

Etched bone fragment discovered at the Nesher Ramla site in Israel.

The Oldest Known Symbol

At the Nesher Ramla site in Israel, archaeologists discovered fragments of an auroch bone — basically a prehistoric wild cow — bearing six deliberate etchings. Using 3D imaging, researchers confirmed these marks were not random; they were carved intentionally, likely by a right-handed individual in a single session.

You see, carving into bone isn’t easy. It takes real effort; it’s not something you do casually. It requires pressure, precision — suggesting not just skill but intent.

These etchings are believed to hold spiritual significance, perhaps symbolizing a connection between hunter and hunted — a form of early symbolic messaging in the Levant.

Unlike European cave art — such as the handprints and animal images dated by archaeologists to around 41,000 years ago — these markings are believed to be nearly three times older, pushing back the known timeline of human symbolic behaviour.

Feelings Set in Bone

Throughout human history, bones have been a tangible symbolic reminder of death — and at the same time, a symbol of something that transcends it.

As an artist, I can’t help but wonder: Why use bone as a medium? This wasn’t a casual sketch on stone or wood. It was a deliberate act of engraving into the hard remnant of a once-living creature.

In Latin, os means not only “bone,” but also the core or heart of something: the soul, the seed (Lewis, 1879). We still say, “I feel it in my bones,” when we want to express deep, intuitive knowledge emerging from the very core of our being.

This bone, a relic of death, may have become a canvas for something sacred — a prayer, a memory, a bond with the hunted.

Perhaps this is why the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1–14) resonates so deeply. Bones, in Scripture, are not just remnants — they are carriers of future breath. They speak of hope embedded in what seems lifeless.

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“Symbols became tools for unity — visual markers of belief, power, and identity.”

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Visual collage showing four types of symbolic allegiance: a crucifix in a stone church (faith), a modern church with a cross (contemporary belief), Roman soldiers with banners (military identity), and national flags (cultural belonging).

A visual collage of symbolic allegiance — faith, power, and belonging across time.

From Ancient Marks to Modern Symbols

As human societies developed, so did our symbolic languages. Symbols became tools for unity — visual markers of belief, power, and identity. Every known culture has developed symbolic systems: from garments and rituals to architectural forms and sacred icons.

Yet symbols, while unifying, can also divide. Many of humanity’s early conflicts were rooted in symbolic allegiance — wars fought over flags, gods, or sacred spaces. The battlefield was not just physical — it was symbolic. Today, we see these same dynamics at work: in logos, national identities, hashtags, uniforms, and political icons.

 

Bass Ale’s red triangle — the first registered trademark in the U.K. — shown on a 19th-century bottle and featured in Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère.

In 1876, the U.K.’s Trade Marks Registration Act formalized branding. The first registered trademark? Bass Ale (U.K. Patent Office, 1876). In 1882, Édouard Manet might have executed the first branded logo placement in  “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère,” clearly featuring the Bass logo in the painted ale bottles.

Branding evolved from cattle marks and tribal glyphs into a global language of commerce, power, and belonging. Today, we are surrounded by convenience stores, malls, restaurants, and coffee chains that all begin to look and feel the same.

Walk into a Starbucks and you’re not just ordering coffee — you’re navigating a menu of overwhelming possibilities. The brand has claimed over 80,000 drink combinations —customizations layered on customizations. Seasonal flavors, hidden menus, extra foam, different milks, sweeteners, toppings — you name it.

And honestly, we must ask: is that a good thing or a bad thing? Is this kind of abundance a celebration of freedom — or a symptom of something else?

I think it’s both. As humans, we make both meaningful and meaningless things. We are the ones creating, ordering, and consuming these brands. So maybe the better question is: Why do we behave this way?

What is it we’re really trying to satisfy?

The Power — and Responsibility — of Symbols

Jesus marked truth with action: drawing, washing, breaking.

Branding — mark-making, like ancient bone-carving — is a human act. It is one profound manifestation of the human spirit. It reflects the soul of its maker. It can heal or divide, inspire or exploit.

And while the discipline of branding has evolved more in the past 10 years than in the last 10,000, the essence remains the same: We make marks to tell stories. To claim identity. To connect.

In marketing today, the most innovative brands are no longer those who simply offer new flavors or features. They are the ones that reflect purpose. That respond to culture. That invite us into a better story.

Religious traditions have long understood the symbolic power of physical marks. Jesus didn’t simply teach with words — He marked truth with action. He drew in the ground with his finger (John 8:6), washed feet (John 13:5), and broke bread (Matthew 26:26).

These gestures weren’t just metaphors — they were invitations into embodied truth.

The cross, the feet, the bread — each is a symbol that speaks through the centuries. These marks tell us of sacrifice, love, and renewal. They are not just visual — they are participatory. They remind us that we remember not only with our minds, but with our hands and our actions.

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“… if we’re not paying attention, we risk forgetting how easily the marks around us begin to shape us.”

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A Call to Purposeful Mark-Making

So what marks are we making today? What logos do we wear, promote, defend? What symbols are shaping the way we think, buy, worship, and belong?

It is our responsibility to continue to leverage the democratic power branding provides, and it is also our responsibility to design a culture that reflects and honors the kind of world we want to live in.

It is our responsibility to look into the brands we are consuming, the marks we are wearing, and how they are shaping the world in which we are living.

Because maybe the first mark that modern humans protected — printed onto a bottle of beer — was never just about ownership. Maybe it revealed more about humanity’s hunger for relief than hunger for meaning. And if we’re not paying attention, we risk forgetting how easily the marks around us begin to shape us.

The ancient Ramla bone etchings ask us a present-day question: Will we carve meaning into the world carelessly — or with intention? Meaninglessly or meaningfully?

As believers, we are called to create and carry symbols that reflect truth, mercy, justice, and renewal. Not just to be seen, but to carry the meaning of the truth you feel in your bones.

And maybe, just maybe, 120,000 years later, someone will then wonder about the intention behind the marks we are leaving now in this world and carry the one worthy memory of all: we are one with the Source and etched with love.

References

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Karen Cantú is a multidisciplinary designer and brand strategist serving as the lead visual designer for Light + Life Magazine and the communications department of the FMCUSA.

Her work blends creative strategy, symbolic thinking, and emotional clarity to bring coherence to brands, messages, and movements. She is also a digital visual artist known for her surreal, reflective style under the name Karen Katar. Born in Mexico and now based in Quebec, she shares life with her husband, Charles, and their two beloved pets, Lily and Penny. Outside of her creative work, she finds renewal in gardening, cooking and paddle boarding.

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