{"id":16120,"date":"2018-08-28T11:00:57","date_gmt":"2018-08-28T07:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/?p=16120"},"modified":"2018-08-28T11:02:05","modified_gmt":"2018-08-28T07:02:05","slug":"why-is-jewellery-so-important-to-the-story-of-human-evolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/why-is-jewellery-so-important-to-the-story-of-human-evolution\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is jewellery so important to the story of human evolution?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Because it provides a public message – even to people we don’t know<\/span><\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Sparkly jewellery, expensive shoes, designer watches \u2013 who doesn\u2019t love a bit of \u201cbling\u201d?<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2017 Australians spent\u00a0A$28.5 billion\u00a0on ornamenting themselves with clothing, cosmetics, and accessories.<\/span><\/p>\n

But this obsession with decorating our bodies isn\u2019t just a trivial activity. Archaeological evidence shows us it\u2019s actually a large part of what makes us human.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why jewellery is important\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Why do we spend so much on decorating ourselves? In short, it\u2019s because we use bling to communicate.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, consider engagement rings. It\u2019s well understood in many countries that a sparkle on the ring finger of the left hand means that the wearer is engaged to be married. That ring sends a particular message.<\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed, everything we wear is sending messages. We are all familiar with phrases such as \u201cpower suits\u201d and \u201cstatement pieces\u201d. The items we choose to wear tell those around us who we are: professionals, athletes, doctors, artists, mothers, and so on. Some choices are conscious, others not so much \u2013 but nevertheless everything we wear is telling a story.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blingy birds and fancy fishes\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

When I talk publicly about the use of bling by people, audience members often bring up the case of\u00a0satin bowerbirds. The male of this species builds an intricate bower before decorating it with blue objects.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, but under water, male pufferfish create gorgeous geometric patterns in the ocean floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

But how is this seemingly artistic behaviour any different to what we humans do?<\/span><\/p>\n

The short answer is\u00a0abstract thought<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bowerbird and the pufferfish are focused on attracting a mate. Their message is simple: \u201cI\u2019m here and I\u2019m healthy.\u201d There is no conversation about how they should send this message \u2013 they just \u2026 do it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our messages \u2013 those we humans are sending through our bling \u2013 are coded using agreed symbols (like a diamond ring) which we\u00a0decide<\/em>\u00a0stands for something else (\u201cengaged to be married\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n

This process of agreeing amongst ourselves that a certain thing can stand for something completely different is what makes us human. And jewellery has been central to this unique ability for hundreds of thousands of years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Decorating our bodies: expanding our minds<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

For archaeologists, finding body adornments is the closest thing to finding prehistoric thought. Their first appearance in the archaeological record tells us when the human mind had become sophisticated enough to conceive of individual identities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Originally, humanity lived in small groups that were spread out across the landscape. Everyone knew everyone, and interactions between complete strangers were a rare occurrence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Growing populations, however, led to an increasingly complex social world in which we didn\u2019t know every individual personally. This meant we needed to start telling people who we were.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, we began wearing certain things to send messages regarding our personal status (available, married, leader, healer) and group affiliations.<\/span><\/p>\n

This use of body decorations enabled humans to continue expanding our communities, which lead to more complex behaviours and more complex minds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Origins in body paint<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The earliest evidence for bling is red pigments \u2013 mineral earth ochres \u2013 which were used as body paints by modern humans (Homo sapiens<\/em>\u00a0like ourselves) some\u00a0285,000 years ago in Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n

Interestingly, it appears that not long after (around 250,000 years ago),\u00a0Neanderthals\u00a0were doing the same thing in Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, body paint only lasts for so long \u2013 until you wash, it rains, or it simply wears off. It has a time limit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beads, beads, and more beads<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Beads, on the other hand, can last for generations. This ability to be used and reused significantly outweighs the time and energy it takes to make them \u2013 and by at least 100,000 years ago, people both needed and recognised the advantages of beads.<\/span><\/p>\n

Around this time, people in Africa and in Israel were seeking out tiny white shells called\u00a0Nassarius<\/em>, punching a hole through their surface so they could be strung, and using them alongside red body paint.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is not an accident that the oldest beads are made from seashells: they come in shapes we like (round), colours we like (white\/cream\/black), and are shiny (we like this\u00a0a lot<\/em>). Small shells are also hardy, being able to withstand being jolted or dropped (useful).<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, they can be worn in a wide variety of ways \u2013 allowing us to transmit many different messages.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Soon we found other light coloured and shiny materials (bone, tooth, ivory, antler, stone) to make new types of ornaments and send even more messages.<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting inked<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

What\u2019s more permanent than beads? Inserting ink into the dermis layer of the skin \u2013 also known as tattooing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sculptures from Europe suggest that tattooing may have an antiquity of at least 30,000 years, though the earliest indisputable evidence for tattooing is currently the Tyrolean iceman commonly known as \u201c\u00d6tzi\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The victim of murder some 5,300 years ago,\u00a0\u00d6tzi sports some 61 skin markings. Similarly aged are two\u00a0predynastic Egyptian mummies, while a younger, spectacular example is a\u00a02,500-year-old Siberian princess.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tattooing also has an impressive history throughout the Pacific, inspiring modern practices while simultaneously passing on ancient stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bling is human<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Because bling is so closely tied to communication, archaeologists are able to track not only the development of our minds, but also the development of our societies.<\/span><\/p>\n

For us, more bling in the archaeological record indicates more interactions. Traded bling tells us who was talking to whom. And new types of bling reflect changed circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n

All bling is valuable because it tells us something about the person who wore it.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Michelle Langley<\/span><\/strong>
\nARC DECRA Research Fellow, <\/span>
\nGriffith University<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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