Researchers from the University of Haifa, the Hebrew University and the French National Center for Scientific Research identified six subparallel incisions on a bone fragment found at a Middle Paleolithic site near the city of Ramle. Dating back 120,000 years ago, the fragment represents one of the oldest pieces of evidence of the use of symbols. Dr Iris Groman-Yaroslavski (Zinman Institute of Archaeology) explained, “Based on our laboratory analysis and discovery of microscopic elements, we were able to surmise that people in prehistoric times used a sharp tool fashioned from flint rock to make the engravings.” READ MORE in Smithsonian, i24news, the Jerusalem Post and the Daily Mail

**The bone featuring the world’s oldest symbols by a right-handed craftsperson. | Credit: Marion Prévost