Ancient beads reveal early human craftsmanship

Archaeologists in Israel discovered 142 clay beads dating back 15,000 to 11,650 years, and identified fingerprints from the people who made them.

An international research team examined the beads from Natufian sites, a culture that predates pottery and agriculture. The beads are cylinders, disks, and ellipses, many coated with red ochre using a technique called “angob”, the earliest known use of this coloring method.

Researchers found fingerprints from children, teenagers, and adults on fifty of the beads, providing direct evidence of who created these early forms of jewelry. The beads suggest that making ornaments was a common activity involving learning, imitation, and the sharing of values between generations. The team also noted that the beads imitated plants important to the Natufians, including wild barley, einkorn wheat, lentils, and peas, indicating a strong cultural connection to the natural world.

Professor Leor Grossman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem stated that the beads demonstrate social and cognitive changes were occurring earlier than previously believed, suggesting the roots of the Neolithic period run deeper than scientists once thought.