Omnilingual (Version 3) - H. Beam Piper

This short story published in 1957 is unusual for its time in that its protagonist is a female scientist, and there is no romantic subplot. Helped by some of her teammates on the Mars exploration crew, and hindered by others, she struggles to decipher the meanings of the artifacts left by an extinct alien species. What possible frame of reference can humans and the long-gone Martians have in common? The answer is very satisfying in this well told tale. - Summary by Trish E. Matson