Omnilingual

"Omnilingual" by H. Beam Piper is a science fiction story about archaeologists on Mars trying to understand the language of a long-lost Martian civilization. The main character, Martha Dane, works hard to translate the old Martian writings. As the team digs up the ruins, they find important objects and clues to the past Martian civilization, like a whole library of books. Martha's work begins to pay off when she starts to understand the Martian language, giving them a peek into Martian culture and science. However, the big question of what caused the Martians to die out and what happened to their civilization still looms over them. The discovery of the Martian artifacts not only unlocks the possibility of translation but also makes them think hard about science, history, and the human desire to connect with civilizations that are long gone.