Necklace is 'oldest in Americas'

by amyjudd | April 1, 2008 at 11:08 am | 311 views | 4 comments

A necklace that is the oldest known gold object made in the Americas has been found near Lake Titicaca in southern Peru.
I wonder if you can still wear it...

Radiocarbon dating puts its origin at about 4,000 years ago, when hunter-gatherers occupied the area.

The researchers say it appears to have been fashioned from gold nuggets.

The discovery suggests that the use of gold jewellery to signify status began before the appearance of more complex societies in the Andes, they report.

Writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), they say the artefact is the earliest worked gold found not only in the Andes, but the Americas as well.

Study leader Dr Mark Aldenderfer of the department of anthropology at the University of Arizona, Tucson, said it demonstrated an emerging social role for gold beyond simple decoration.

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amyjudd

at 11:53 on April 1st, 2008

Thanks for the pic everchanging!

everchanging

at 12:10 on April 1st, 2008

You're Welcome :-)

This is the kind stuff in life that makes me wonder, when where and how humankind really came to be as we understand it at this time in our on going history of humanity.

It amazing, when new items show up. Creating the continued question of how far back in time (history) we go?

everchanging

at 11:58 on April 1st, 2008

good stuff:

amyjudd, It's good stuff. Interesting - They restrung the pieces to place it all together as it had originally looked. I wonder if the maker(s) know what they where making was a timepiece that would bestow upon a culture they would ever imagine 4,000 year later in time.

With Gold prices these days and its origin, I wonder what its worth on the market ?