Sculptures and tools from the Stone Age show markings that could be an early precursor to written language, according to a new analysis.

The origins of writing aren’t set in stone. The ancient cave peoples weren’t as illiterate as portrayed in popular media.

A new study has revealed that mysterious signs carved onto Paleolithic artifacts up to 40,000 years ago match the information density of the world's earliest known writing system — pushing the deep ...

Statistical analysis reveals ancient bone carvings hold complex information rivaling early Mesopotamian scripts.

Long before the first known writing systems appeared in ancient Mesopotamia, early humans were already carving mysterious symbols into tools, ornaments, and sculptures. A new study suggests that these ...

Ancient carvings once thought decorative may actually be early attempts to record information. Their statistical complexity matches that of proto-cuneiform, pushing the origins of writing-like systems ...

New research shows early humans created structured ancient symbol systems 40,000 years ago, long before formal writing appeared.

Over 40,000 years ago, our early ancestors were already carving signs into tools and sculptures. According to a new analysis by linguist Christian Bentz at Saarland University and archaeologist Ewa ...

The Indus Valley civilization was one of the most advanced in the world for over 500 years. More than 1000 settlements sprawled across 250,000 square miles of what is now Pakistan and northwest India ...

Archaeologists in south-east Turkey have made an extraordinary find—a prehistoric stone face that might turn everything we believe about the origins of art and self-awareness on its head. In the early ...

Researchers have uncovered compelling evidence that Stone Age humans were engraving complex, meaningful symbol systems onto ...