On holes and strings: Earliest displays of human adornment in the Middle Palaeolithic.

Daniella E Bar-Yosef Mayer,Bernard Vandermeersch,Astrid Kampen-Hasday,Ofer Bar-Yosef,Iris Groman-Yaroslavski,Mina Weinstein-Evron,Israel Hershkovitz,Yossi Zaidner,Michael D Petraglia

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0234924

Abstract

Glycymeris shell beads found in Middle Palaeolithic sites are understood to be artifacts collected by modern humans for symbolic use. In Misliya Cave, Israel, dated to 240–160 ka BP, Glycymeris shells were found that were neither perforated nor manipulated; nevertheless, transportation to the cave is regarded as symbolic. In about 120 ka BP at Qafzeh Cave, Israel, modern humans collected naturally perforated Glycymeris shells also for symbolic use. Use-wear analyses backed by experiments demonstrate that the Qafzeh shells were suspended on string, thus suggesting that the collection of perforated shells was intentional. The older Misliya shells join a similar finding from South Africa, while the later-dated perforated shells from Qafzeh resemble other assemblages from North Africa and the Levant, also dated to about 120 ka BP. We conclude that between 160 ka BP and 120 ka BP there was a shift from collecting complete valves to perforated ones, which reflects both the desire and the technological ability to suspend shell beads on string to be displayed on the human body.

Highlights

Homo sapiens evolved in Africa beginning at least about 200,000 years ago [1,2] and recent evidence suggests an even earlier appearance with specimens from Jebel Irhoud dated to about 300 ka BP [3]
One was found in the uppermost archeological layer close to the surface, another was discovered in Unit 4 and two more came from Unit 6 of the excavation, both units attributed to the Early Middle Palaeolithic (EMP) based on both lithics and absolute dates (See S1 Text in S1 File)
A burnt fragment of a C. glaucum shell was found in Unit 6 as well, while another was embedded in breccia and only a part of the valve could be seen (Fig 3a and 3e), but the brecciated context confirms its association with EMP levels

Summary

Introduction

Homo sapiens evolved in Africa beginning at least about 200,000 years ago [1,2] and recent evidence suggests an even earlier appearance with specimens from Jebel Irhoud dated to about 300 ka BP [3]. These findings are backed by genetic evidence [4]. Modern humans migrated out of Africa as early as 194–177 ka BP, as evident from their presence at Misliya Cave, Israel [5,6] and Apidima Cave, Greece [7].

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Conclusion