The earliest lighthouse structures probably are as old as seafaring activities, which are archeologically documented as early as 8000 B.C. Seafaring, for travel and fishing along coastlines or on short sea connections, was probably practiced in neolithic times and developed in the context of nomadic or half-nomadic civilizations. Early lighthouse systems consisted mainly of temporary and occasional fires lit on higher locations or promontories. They might have taken advantage of both fire and smoke, and the combination of coded fire and smoke signals for guidance and warning might have worked with good efficiency for day and night navigation along coastlines. It is reasonable to imagine some even more elaborate sign language able to convey messages over longer distances. These antique beacons, which were really a kind of optical telegraph, were fires prepared on hills or set up on specially constructed terraces, often organized in relay leagues, creating systemic chains of speedy information and accelerated communication over longer distances and, eventually, through complex and often discontinuous geographical settings.