Geometric Symmetries Partially Explain Why Some Paleolithic Signs Are More Frequent

A recent analysis of Paleolithic signs have described which signs are more frequent and which are less frequent. In this paper, we show that this relative frequency can be (at least partially) explained by the symmetries of the signs: in general, the more symmetries, the more frequent the sign. 1 Different Paleolithic Signs Occur with Different Frequencies: Formulation of the Problem Interesting empirical fact. In a recent book [1], the author analyzes Paleolithic signs. In particular, in Chapter 16, she lists seven most frequent signs: • the most frequent sign is a set of parallel lines (P); • next in frequency are dots (D); • then the following signs are of approximately the same frequency: halfcircles (C), crosshatches (CH, see below), and finger fluting (F, see below); • even rarer are zigzags (Z); • finally, the least frequent of the seven symbols are spirals (S). P r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r