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

“The artifacts date back to tens of thousands of years before the first writing systems, to the time when Homo sapiens left Africa, settled in Europe, and encountered Neanderthal,” explained Ewa ...

The birth of writing could be 40,000 years earlier than previously thought after scientists found etchings in a German cave.

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - A small object called the Adorant figurine discovered in a cave in Germany in 1979 - crafted roughly 40,000 years ago by some of the earliest people to ...

New analysis of 40,000-year-old carvings discovered in Germany show repeated patterns and structure, hinting that early ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. They were in use from the first or second century AD in northern Europe until being replaced by the Latin alphabet amid ...

(CNN) — Researchers have uncovered links between the precursor to the world’s oldest writing system and the mysterious, intricate designs left behind by engraved cylindrical seals that were rolled ...

Over 40,000 years ago, our early ancestors were already carving signs into tools and sculptures. According to a new analysis ...

Archaeologists say they have uncovered evidence of what may be the world's oldest known alphabet. The alphabetic writing system was identified on finger-length clay cylinders excavated from a tomb in ...

Corrections & clarifications: An earlier version of this story contained inaccurate or incomplete facts about the history of language. Language is an essential part of human communication, allowing ...