Exactly. It is an option which I can entertain as a possibility no doubt, but I don't think it is reasonable to take it as a certainty as it was not demonstrated, just hypothesised. Once again it's not that I doubt it, I find it possible or maybe probable given that it is, and unfortunately, a human universal, but the evidence is just not there. At least yet.

Unfortunaly it is a cross cultural, ignores geographical boundaries and goes back in time as long as we are able to record it. The same goes for the symbolism of the branding. However I got to say that reading the article, it is an assumption by the scholars that this is the case. As far as I can reach, they reckon the branding irons were too small for cattle, thus used on humans. It is a bit of a stretch though I can understand the conclusion, but I believe we are still missing a couple of steps to assert that is the case definitely.