Binary numbers have been in use since the balance scale was developed.
Full disclosure: I had a revelatory acid trip on this subject when a research mathematician first explained to me set theory as essentially a derivative matrix resulting from a boolean test.... the world as we perceive it is merely sets! This explains children learning! Mind. Blown.
Bonus anecdote: If you like admiring early human achievements that have been unfairly obscured from popular history, check out the Polynesian crab claw sails. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_claw_sail#Performance