Symbols and markings carved into tools and figurines by Stone Age humans over 40,000 years ago could be an ancient precursor to writing, according to a new analysis. The marks, found on 260 artifacts ...

Strange symbols carved onto a Stone Age mammoth ivory plate found at a cave in southwest Germany could be the earliest known predecessor to writing by humans, according to a new study. More than ...

Co-authors Kathryn Kelley and Mattia Cartolano from the University of Bologna's Department of Classical Philology and Italian Studies studied seal imagery from before the invention of writing. A ...

Thousands of marks carved into Paleolithic artifacts suggest that early modern humans were using structured symbols to communicate as far back as 40,000 years ago, a detailed analysis has found.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A 40,000-year-old mammoth figurine bears markings that researchers say might be an early precursor to writing. - Hildegard ...