Friday, 16th April 2004 (3091 views)

The current demand for luxury goods is not a new one according to Norwegian archaeologists.

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.

Archaeologists believe the perforated shell strings are evidence of past behaviour and the idea that men gave jewellery as gifts.

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.

"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."

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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