Neanderthal Engraved Shell Bead Pendants with Red Ochre
Title
Neanderthal Engraved Shell Bead Pendants with Red Ochre
Subject
Paleolithic Jewelry and Beads
Description
Location: Italy
Microscopic analysis of the shell surface shows work by a Neanderthal tool and traces of red ochre. A piece of fossilized sea shell, discovered by a study team in a cave in northern Italy, was decorated by Neanderthals around 46,000 years ago – long before the arrival of modern humans in the area.
“A piece of fossilized sea shell, discovered by a study team in a cave in northern Italy, was decorated by Neanderthals around 46,000 years ago – long before the arrival of modern humans in the area. The team, led by paleontologist Marco Peresani, believes that the shell was brought to the Fumane Cave from a fossil site around 60 miles away and decorated with red ochre, most likely to be suspended by a cord for display as a pendant.”
Microscopic analysis of the shell surface shows work by a Neanderthal tool and traces of red ochre. A piece of fossilized sea shell, discovered by a study team in a cave in northern Italy, was decorated by Neanderthals around 46,000 years ago – long before the arrival of modern humans in the area.
“A piece of fossilized sea shell, discovered by a study team in a cave in northern Italy, was decorated by Neanderthals around 46,000 years ago – long before the arrival of modern humans in the area. The team, led by paleontologist Marco Peresani, believes that the shell was brought to the Fumane Cave from a fossil site around 60 miles away and decorated with red ochre, most likely to be suspended by a cord for display as a pendant.”
Source
Peresani M, Vanhaeren M, Quaggiotto E, Queffelec A, d’Errico F (2013) An Ochered Fossil Marine Shell From the Mousterian of Fumane Cave, Italy. PLoS ONE 8(7): e68572. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0068572; www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.006857 2
Publisher
Dr. Gregory Schaaf
Angie Yan Schaaf
Angie Yan Schaaf
Date
44,000 BC
Contributor
Amanda Pirone
Format
File Format: Image/TIFF
Dimensions: 278 x 555
Dimensions: 278 x 555
Language
English
Type
Art History
Coverage
Italy
Original Format
Jewelry and Beads
Physical Dimensions
1 cm
Citation
“Neanderthal Engraved Shell Bead Pendants with Red Ochre,” Art History of Jewelry and Beads, accessed April 20, 2024, https://amandapirone.omeka.net/items/show/6.