Cave Paintings are the oldest methods of communicating. They were used to mark territories. Major events were also recorded through these paintings. They are usually found on the walls and ceilings of caves. Symbolic as well as religious functions were shown in these paintings. Chauvet Cave in France has the oldest cave painting. That painting was made around 30,000 B.C. South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and Coliboaia Cave in Romania has the earliest cave paintings. North America has many locations with paintings on walls and in caves. have you ever seen any yourself?

The earliest recorded war poetry is thought to be by Enheduanna, a priestess from Sumer, the ancient land that is now Iraq. In about 2300 BCE, she riled against war, writing: You are blood rushing down a mountain, Spirit of hate, greed and anger, dominator of heaven and earth! Some poems are lyrical. The EPIC OF GILGAMESH is the earliest great work of literature that we know of, and was first written down by the Sumerians around 2100 B.C. The Iliad and the Odyssey were lyrical poems passed down through generations for approximately 800 years before they were recorded in writing and attributed To "Homer" People communicated this way before reading and writing was available. Have you read any of the following?

In ancient history, messages and parcels were hand-delivered using runners, homing pigeons, riders with horses, camels and bullock carts. The most famous message was during the Battle of Marathon, which was a focal point of what we now know as the Greco-Persian wars between 499 – 449BC; It is said that an Athenian courier/soldier by the name of Pheidippides ran from Athens all the way to Sparta to ask for assistance before the Battle of Marathon, completing his endurance run in two days this equated to a total distance of 140 miles and then back again. Pheidippides ran from the aftermath of the Battle of Marathon straight to Athens eager to break the good news of Victory. Entering the gates of the ancient Polis city state with open arms hailing the words ''nenikēkamen!" which can be translated as ''We've won'' at which point he plummets to his knees in exhaustion – only to die at the scene. Did you know that this is the origin of the Greek Marathon, named after the famous battle?

Around 100 BC, the earliest known ciphers were developed, known as "The Caesar Box" and were used by Julius Caesar to send secret messages to his generals in the field. In the event that one of his messages got intercepted, his opponent could not read them. Julius Caesar continuously sent many messages over the years to the citizens of Rome to keep the people aware of his victories and conquests. A member of the Republic would stand in the forum and read out the reports to the public. "Veni, vidi, vinci"-I came, I saw, I conquered-is one of the most famous military dispatches of all time, and totally characteristic of Julius Caesar. He sent it to Rome after his defeat of King Pharnaces of Pontus in 47, a campaign that added greatly to Rome's eastern power. The message captures the essence of Caesar, that almost superhuman mix of energy, ability, and ambition. His Victory Parade through the Forum displaying the spoils of war, delighted the crowds. The Roman Army marched through an Arch of Triumph which was carved with visual stories of the victories in battle, a permanent record of their glory. Were you aware that Julius Caesar originated Secret Messages?

Prior to medieval times, there were several sophisticated methods of message dissemination, including the messenger systems of the Persian Empire, and the relay-runner system of the Inca state. This would involve multiple messengers passing a message from one to another to get it to a far away destination. The Incas used knotted strings to communicate. One of the great mysteries of ancient Peru is that the Inca did not have a system of writing, but communicated with a system of strings tied with knots. For the first time, centuries-old knotted textile accounting records known as quipus were found buried with well-preserved organic material. They were found at the archaeological site of Incahuasi, the base of operations for the Inca expansion along Peru's southern coast. Were you aware that the Incas used "quipus" to communicate?