The 3-day conferenceThe Earliest Symbols will examine the origins of graphic codes long before writing was invented. We will invite leading experts in archaeology, cognitive science, and semiotics to investigate how icons and geometries were created in the deep past and how this process was influenced by cultural transmission, visual communication, cognitive affordances and constraints. 

We will present case studies of rock art and engravings from the Indonesian, south African, and several European contexts, offering a comparative perspective on how early humans created and transmitted visual messages. This international conference will offer an open platform for discussion on the emergence of symbolic behavior, the role of geometry and iconicity in early symbol making and the cognitive mechanisms that underlie symbolic behavior in prehistoric times.