Marks left by Stone Age humans were surprisingly complex

Feb 25th 2026|3 min read

A SYSTEM OF caves in the Swabian Jura, a mountain range in what is now southwest Germany, offers archaeologists a window onto the life of the first anatomically modern Europeans. Between 43,000 and 34,000 years ago, the inhabitants of these caves created a cornucopia of artefacts: specialised tools and jewellery; figurative art; flutes whittled from bone and ivory; and miniature figurines of megafauna both real and imagined. Many of these artefacts are adorned with what archaeologists call “signs”—geometric markings such as dots, lines, crosses and stars—the meaning and purpose of which remain unknown.