May 10 2009
Small Shell Contains Big Clue to Human Evolution
What is the meaning of a small hole in a small shell? It depends. If the hole was manufactured by a human, it could mean something. In this case, it is likely the shell was used as an ornamental bead. And? It is the age of the bead that is the rage in this scientific finding.
But before I share that –perhaps as an intellectual drum-roll, but more to provide context — the bead was found in a cave in Morocco that had already yielded shells in a layer of 82,000 year old deposits. And there is another cave in South Africa that 41 similar shell beads have been unearthed. These have been “confidently” dated to 71,000 years ago. Ancient.
The bead in question was actually one of nearly four dozen shells discovered, the majority “perforated.” And they date back to at least 110,000 years. We now have a new world record! Well, a science record.
And the meaning of it to human evolution? It doesn’t say much if anything about the form hominids took back then. But how they functioned, yes it does say something. How big of a deal is it? Imagine if you were to discover a wild troop of chimpanzees wearing shell necklaces they fashioned themselves. No, the hominids at that time were not equivalent to chimps. But the appearance of a new type of behavior is a big deal.
Archaeologists widely believe that humans in Europe first started fashioning purely symbolic objects about 40,000 years ago, but in Africa this latest evidence shows that humans were engaged in this activity at least 40,000 years before this.
Who are we as a species? Reading tea leaves won’t tell you a Damn thing. But a hole in a small shell? That can.
[article originally found at ScienceDaily]
