We often hear that the first writing came from the Sumerians around 5,400 years ago. But new research suggests humans may have been “writing” much earlier, around 40,000 years ago!

Paleontologist Genevieve von Petzinger studied caves across Europe and found repeated symbols, dots, lines, triangles, hand shapes, and other simple designs. These symbols were surprisingly similar across different caves and regions. They might have been a way for early humans to share ideas, record events, or even “talk” without words.

Some experts say the symbols were just decorations near animal paintings, but others think they show early humans were already capable of symbolic thinking, an important step toward language.

These ancient marks show that humans were clever and creative far earlier than we thought, and they may have been communicating in ways we are only beginning to understand.