Researchers in Eastern and Southern Africa discovered almost identical beads from the eggshells of ostriches. These beads date back over 50,000 years.
The area covered by the jewelry is approximately 1,800 mile, which suggests that it was part of a social network connecting Stone Age communities across the continent.
The Max Planck Institute team in Germany claims that this network would be the “world’s oldest” social network, connecting different cultures.
These beads are not only part of cultural exchange but also the oldest manufactured ornaments on the planet. The shells were transformed by humans to create the beads.
Researchers from eastern and southern Africa found almost identical beads that were made out of eggshells of Ostrich ostriches. These beads span more than 50 years.
It was found that the jewellery covered an area of approximately 1,800 miles. This suggests that there may have been a social network linking stone-age people throughout Europe.
Researchers can trace connections between different groups of prehistoric beads by comparing the types produced by different cultures.
It took over ten years for the anthropologists to compile the largest database ever of ostrich eggshell beads.
They had 1,500 beads dated back to the last 50,000 year, gathered at 31 sites in south and east Africa.
The researchers compared the size and thickness of the beads to find that people used beads almost exactly the same.
These findings indicate that a social network existed between 1,800 miles from each other.
Experts would consider this to be the oldest network of social networks.
They explained that signs of the network disappeared 33,000 years earlier than expected. This is most likely due to dramatic climate change.
After a period of wet periods in Africa’s history, the network collapsed.
The time was when East Africa had a lot less rainfall than it did before the arrival of the southern tropical rain belt.
This may have led to higher rainfall near the Zambezi River.
Jennifer Miller, the lead author of this study, stated that humans are social animals, however little information is available about how and when different populations connect.
“Answering to these questions is essential for understanding biological and cultural diversity seen in today’s human population,” she stated.
Although DNA provides a great tool to study genetic interaction between human populations, it is not able to address cultural exchanges.
It would be the world’s oldest network of social networks that links different cultures. This is according to researchers from Germany’s Max Planck Institute.
The German researchers believe that ostrich eggshell beads make a great artifact for understanding social patterns in the past.
They are the world’s oldest manufactured ornaments, meaning instead of relying on an item’s natural size or shape, humans transformed the shells to produce beads.
The extensive shaping allows for many style variations.
Prehistoric accessories are a great way for researchers to find cultural links, as different cultures produce beads in different styles.
Dr Miller explained that it’s similar to following breadcrumbs’, and tiny beads are used as clues,’scattered over time and space. They’re just waiting for someone to notice them.
Researchers can trace connections between different groups of prehistoric beads by comparing the types produced by different cultures.
It took more than 10 years for the anthropologists to compile the largest database ever of ostrich eggshell beads in the world.
They “have the ability to uncover big stories about our history,” she said.
German researchers encourage others to continue building on their database, as well as continuing exploring the evidence of cultural connections within new regions.
Yiming Wang, co-author of the study, described their findings as “surprising” and presented a clear pattern spanning over 50,000 years.
“Through the combination of climate models and paleo-environmental data, we can see how climate change is affecting cultural behavior.
These findings were published by Nature.
What do we know about the HISTORY of THE STONE AGE’S HISTORY?
The Stone Age, a time in prehistory that is distinguished by the first development of stone tools and which covers over 95% of prehistory human technology, can be described as a significant period.
It all begins during the Old Stone Age which started around 3.3 million year ago.
In the Middle Stone Age, between roughly 400,000 to 200,000 years ago the rate of technological advancement in stone technologies began to slow down.
From the start of time handaxes were handmade with great craftsmanship. This led to the development of smaller and more varied toolkits that emphasized flake tools over core tools.
Stone Age, a period of human prehistory marked by the first development of stone tools and which covers more than 95% of all human technological prehistory, is known as human prehistory. The Museum of Toulouse has this image of neolithic jadeitite axes.
This toolkit was established in at least 250,000 years by some Africans, in Europe or parts of Western Asia. They last from 50,000 years to 28,000 years.
During the Later Stone Age the pace of innovations rose and the level of craftsmanship increased.
Homo sapiens groups experimented using a variety of raw materials including antlers, bone, ivory and stone.
It is believed that the period between 50,000-39,000 years ago was associated with modern human behavior in Africa.
Different cultures have their unique identities and their individual ways of doing things.
The later Stone Age and the technologies they used spread throughout Africa in the course of several thousand more years.