Symbols are powerful tools for social communication. Although written language is now a widespread visual symbol used to represent thoughts, personal adornments and artwork have considerably deeper roots in human history. For most of prehistory, our predecessors focused on survival activities such as collecting food or building shelters; suddenly, objects with no apparent survival use began to appear in the archaeological record. The earliest possible precursors include powdered ochre pigment of unknown function, and a marine shell with a zig-zag motif, both associated with Homo erectus. Unambiguous symbols emerge ~100,000 years ago (in Africa) as perforated marine shell beads, and by 30,000 years ago there are elaborate bead traditions found in various regions, and expertly painted cave scenes (in Europe). These discoveries point to significant changes in Palaeolithic people's lifestyles and suggest an evolutionary benefit to of symbolic representation. In this course, we will investigate the genesis and evolution of artwork and symbols in the archaeological record, as well as the various methods used by scholars to investigate them. Ultimately, these lines of inquiry help to illuminate the origins of communication, group affiliation and cultural diversification.