Did humankind have a common language in ancient times? Did that language include a written form?
Relevant to that question, an article from today in the Daily Galaxy got my attention: “Ancient Language of Universal Symbols Discovered.”
The article connects ancient petroglyphs discovered around the world and claims that they all represent a common ancient script sometimes called Old Negev (see here for a discussion of Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions, including Old Negev) and apparently called First Tongue by some (here is an unattributed article on that topic).
Here’s an interesting chart comparing glyphs found in Colorado with Hebrew. Here’s a map showing locations of petroglyphs around the world.
The Daily Galaxy and First Tongue articles seem to be written more by “fringe” researchers, but that doesn’t mean their ideas should be automatically discounted.
For a more mainstream academic approach to Petroglyphs, see the Wikipedia entry. See also the Rock Art Research Institute, which focuses primarily on African petroglyphs.
ARK — 3 March 2009
A. Roy King 
I read lots of doubters with instant reactions of it must be hoax and fraud~ but as James Harris- I went there to the Arabah~ the Hijaz the Dead Sea Rift the Negev the Mtns of Edom, and plied the ancient trade routes. I invested my lifes inheritance in search of the origins of the concepts composing language the alphabet the earliest etymons and the evolution of scripts, and I can prove this absolutely.
Since being shown the place I’m at now -while selling the symbols and writings inscribed into gemstone jewelry on ebay out of internet cafes in the Arab world- has become my home… it is an Israelite Tabernacle site and Cooperative Agricultural Colony dating to 759 BCE in New Mexico. At Hidden Mtn 35 airmiles due SW of Albuquerque, and 16 miles due W of LosLunas.
Here is the best example of monospace Paleo Hebrew (which was necessary to map out how the 10 commandments were written in stone originally) ever found, the oldest known Decalogue, the only intact Altar to the Biblical GOD, and a panorama of communicative interrelations with indigenous natives abounding in petroglyph all around!
I’ve enjoyed the last 3 years walking these miles, and found 5 fields of ancient arcing furrows for wind driven irrigation, much pottery and knapping, a hunting /herding-cliffing location, and then there’s the original ‘pottery mound’ of Thor Warner who came up the mtn (“Fortification Mesa”) on the Southern side in 1926.
I’ve been to the Purgatoire S of LaJunta and walked it’s length exploring too, and while the early Ligature phase of Proto Hebrew is not so comparable to my established Paleo Hebrew of Israel-Judah the Icon that binds them (Y’aH) abounds! And the people of this way-Archaic period of time when the Hebrews were in Egypt (1850-1450 BCE) knew EL which is even more apparent!
I’m actually well equipped with the evidences to present that the Phoenicians were bringing crews establishing outposts returning with ore and generally working trade here in America throughout the Bronze and Iron ages, not to mention the before and after evidences Eastward and Westward for Chinese, Inyo-Libyan, Celtic, Egyptian, Greek, Iberic, and Etruscan-Roman presence!
I think to start with some reasonable explanations.
http://yehuah.ning.com/photo/album/listForOwner?screenName=0sz91vk8h2scv
Very interesting, Todd. If I understand you correctly, you have found inscriptions in the southwest U.S. using characters similar to Old Negev, and that you believe the inscriptions are translatable into Hebrew? If you could publish something about this in a systematic way, that would be fascinating to read. Thanks so much for your comments!
I looked up the internet about ancient common language after a revelation on morning when I woke up with the words that the Irish traded successfully in ancient times with many cultures across the middle east because they could communicate with an ancient common language and I was given the name but because I did not have a pen at hand it is now lost in the mists of time. interesting.