Was there a technologically advanced civilisation on Earth before ours? If there had been one, could we detect its existence from fossil and geological records?

This paper discusses indicators that would tell us about the presence of an advanced civilisation that may existed between 400 million t0 4 million years ago. If you found synthetic materials like plastics, piles of nuclear fuel or waste, or geological changes (due to engineering projects like dams), you could be pretty confident there was some advanced life involved.