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Friday, 16th April 2004 (4135 views)

The current demand for luxury goods is not a new one according to Norwegian archaeologists.<BR/><BR/>A collection of jewellery has been found in a South African cave thought to be 75,000 years old and being hailed as the earliest known jewellery.<BR/><BR/>Archaeologists believe the perforated shell strings are evidence of past behaviour and the idea that men gave jewellery as gifts.<BR/><BR/>Prof Henshilwood, of the University of Bergen told the Scotsman: "Agreement is widespread that personal ornaments, such as beads, incontrovertibly represent symbolically mediated modern behaviour. <BR/><BR/>"The discovery of 41 shell beads in sand layers at Blombos Cave accurately dated as 75,000 years old, provides important new evidence for early symbolically organised behaviour in Africa."<BR/><BR/>The finding seems to suggest that in the same way a piece of high quality uniquely designed gold jewellery is given as a gift or symbolises status nowadays, specially crafted shells in the past were also used.

 

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