STORIES 2020 23
THE EVOLUTION OF COGNITIVE TOOLS FOR QUANTIFICATION (QUANTA) All humans – like many other animals – are able to perceive approximate quantities, but only humans can precisely count them. We are also the only species that uses symbols to express quantities (with words such as “one, two, three”), communicate them visually (for example with our fingers), or record them (by writing them down with digits). These verbal and nonverbal numeral systems are our cognitive tools for quantification, and we employ them to understand and transform the world. And yet, while we do have an entire scientific discipline to teach us what we can do with numbers, we know very little about their origin and evolution. When, why, and how did our ancestors develop these tools? Were those seeking shelter in Blombos Cave and Klipdrift a hundred thousand years ago (100 ka) already interested in exact quantities? And did they possess, or develop, such cognitive tools for counting? Questions like these lie at the heart of the QUANTA project, funded by a European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant.
