Episode 7 • Season Two — Shifts 39:50 2026/07/21

The wasm: a mark that precedes the alphabet

Guest: Khalid Almuanen

On marks of ownership on camel and stone, and on the question they open: when does a mark become writing?

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Episode notes

A conversation about the wusum as a system of identification that works on collective trust rather than central authority, and about their possible relation to the rock inscriptions.

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