While the use of metal as tools and decorations is only about 9000 years old. The practice of using objects as personal decorations is actually much, much older. All of the reasons we wear jewelry today were still reasons to wear jewelry tens of thousands of years ago; to proclaim loyalty to an individual or group, as a symbol of; and to garner recognition for, achievements, as a symbol of status, for visible and mobile wealth, as a visual assertion of our individuality. These things have always been part of us.
For ancient humans, first priorities were probably food, water, shelter, and fire. But oddly enough jewelry was also kind of a big deal. The first known examples of “jewelry” are in fact 135,000 years old. Neanderthals would wear decorative bones and talons. Homo-Sapiens, in the time of sabretooth tigers and wooly mammoths, still managed the earliest examples of “complicated construction” in jewelry with beaded Nassarius shell necklaces that are over 110,000 years ago
For a long time, it was thought that the oldest personal ornament ever was found in the site of the Twilight Cave, in Kenya. It is believed that they are 40,000 years old. The beads were made from drilled ostrich egg shells tied on a string around the neck. These finds are contemporary to the supposed change in human cognitive abilities, when there was an outburst of imagination and abstract thinking. In fact there was a hand carved stone bracelet found in Siberia that is also around 40,000 years old. This shows artisan level skill utilizing technology thought to not exist for another several thousand years.
In fact the oldest known gold jewelry doesn’t even show up until around 8,000 or 9,000 years ago in Eastern Bulgaria. Carved and stained glass beads don’t show up until around 5000 years ago in ancient Egypt. And “modern” carving of gemstones doesn’t happen until about 3000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia.
In the course of human evolution the skill and technology has advanced and with it our preferences have become as varied as our options. But the inherent desire to fancy up a little a bit of something and wear it proudly has been around nearly as long as we have been roaming the earth.
For ancient humans, first priorities were probably food, water, shelter, and fire. But oddly enough jewelry was also kind of a big deal. The first known examples of “jewelry” are in fact 135,000 years old. Neanderthals would wear decorative bones and talons. Homo-Sapiens, in the time of sabretooth tigers and wooly mammoths, still managed the earliest examples of “complicated construction” in jewelry with beaded Nassarius shell necklaces that are over 110,000 years ago
For a long time, it was thought that the oldest personal ornament ever was found in the site of the Twilight Cave, in Kenya. It is believed that they are 40,000 years old. The beads were made from drilled ostrich egg shells tied on a string around the neck. These finds are contemporary to the supposed change in human cognitive abilities, when there was an outburst of imagination and abstract thinking. In fact there was a hand carved stone bracelet found in Siberia that is also around 40,000 years old. This shows artisan level skill utilizing technology thought to not exist for another several thousand years.
In fact the oldest known gold jewelry doesn’t even show up until around 8,000 or 9,000 years ago in Eastern Bulgaria. Carved and stained glass beads don’t show up until around 5000 years ago in ancient Egypt. And “modern” carving of gemstones doesn’t happen until about 3000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia.
In the course of human evolution the skill and technology has advanced and with it our preferences have become as varied as our options. But the inherent desire to fancy up a little a bit of something and wear it proudly has been around nearly as long as we have been roaming the earth.