The Eurasian Engraving Chronotope: How a Rare Tradition Emerged Without Cognitive Revolution

Early marking behaviour in the Middle Pleistocene is sparsely attested and unevenly distributed, with Bilzingsleben often treated as a unique anomaly. This study tests whether Bilzingsleben represents an isolated experiment or the earliest visible node of a structured Eurasian tradition. We integrate a statistical baseline of ten Middle Pleistocene sites with an expanded dataset of seven engraved-bone localities across Eurasia—Stránská Skála, Oldisleben, Prolom 2, Dziadowa Skała, Nesher Ramla, and Einhornhöhle. Using morphological taxonomy, taphonomic discipline, and chronotopic modelling, we identify four motif classes (I–IV) forming a graded behavioural hierarchy: Parallel Arrays → Convergent Lines → Irregular Incisions → Abstract Engravings. The Eurasian Engraving Chronotope maps directional transmission flows from Central Europe eastward and later back, with regional persistence (Oldisleben within 10.5 km of Bilzingsleben) and incremental behavioural deepening over ~500,000 years. Classes I–III imply controlled motor execution and pattern‑level intentionality without symbolic content; symbolic elaboration emerges only in Class IV (later periods). Bilzingsleben anchors the earliest, densest, and most coherent node in a rare, persistent tradition—supporting gradual behavioural elaboration without cognitive revolution. The chronotope’s structural‑alignment protocol also offers a replicable heuristic for adjudicating ambiguous evidence beyond Eurasia