Archeologists have discovered ancient punctuation marks on a birch bark letter unearthed in the center of Veliky Novgorod in July 2017.

      According to experts, the find may indicate that the Novgorodians used punctuation marks, starting from the 12^th century. This was reported by the deputy head of the Novgorod archaeological expedition, professor of the Moscow State University, Elena Rybina.

      "This is the earliest known case of finding punctuation marks ... The manuscript contains a list of names: Foma, Micha, Mikula, Yanka, Ekim, and relatives: mother, stepmother, wife. The words are separated with vertical lines. We cannot yet say if they stood for a comma or a dot” - she said at a press conference on archaeological research in Veliky Novgorod and its environs in the 2017 field season.