Ostrich eggshell beads

Ostrich eggshell beads, considered among the earliest ornaments created by <a href="/facts/Human/rlcTENsr">Homo sapiens</a>, represent some of the most ancient fully manufactured <a href="/facts/Bead/lfI6rEzk">beads</a>. Archaeologists have traced their origins back to the <a href="/facts/Late_Pleistocene/jKVh7yXL">Late Pleistocene</a>, with evidence suggesting they were crafted as early as 75,000 years ago in Africa. Certain populations continue to produce and utilize these beads in contemporary times.
Ostrich eggshell beads likely originated from eastern Africa. They appear in the archaeological record all throughout Africa in a variety of contexts, including those of <a href="/facts/Foraging/o2u7xmHD">foraging</a>, <a href="/facts/Herding/aXS0Gkmf">herding</a>, and <a href="/facts/Agriculture/TGztqzJs">farming</a> societies. They are particularly well-represented in the archaeological record of the <a href="/facts/Holocene/sppPgwW5">Holocene</a>, and are well-studied in eastern and southern Africa. They can be useful to archaeologists as a way to study symbolic meanings, the creation and maintenance of social identities, exchange, and can even be used to radiocarbon date sites. They also appear in the archaeological record of Asia, with some beads dating to 12,000 years old.

Ostrich eggshell beads open-in-new

Ostrich eggshell beads