Mysterious symbols in ancient temple could be world’s oldest Catchphrase | Tech News [Video]

A lion, an eagle, a bull, a fig tree and a plough. Thousands of years ago, these five symbols appeared all over temples in the ancient city of Dūr-Šarrukīn – present-day Khorsabad in Iraq – and archaeologists had no idea why.

But now, Assyriologist Dr Martin Worthington believes he may have the answer – and it’s all down to a bit of narcissism. And a very early version of Catchphrase.

The symbols, thought to be around 2,700 years old, were first discovered by a French team excavating the region in the late 19th Century, and have been compared to Egyptian hieroglyphs. In this sense, it was thought perhaps the symbols were used to reflect imperial power.

At the time, the city was ruled by Sargon II, king of Assyria, but how did those symbols point to him?

This is where Catchphrase comes in, with its ‘say what you see’ motto.

Dr Worthington …