Ancient Beads Point to Far-Flung Relationships in Southern Africa

An isotopic analysis of eggshell beads dating back more than 30,000 years indicates that they helped build networks that stretched for hundreds of kilometers.

Written byShawna Williams

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ABOVE: Ostrich eggshell beads, such as these specimens found in Lesotho, may have been exchanged as gifts among Stone Age humans.
© YUCHAO ZHAO, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARCHAEOLOGY/JOHN KLAUSMEYER

If you’re looking for an accessory that never goes out of fashion, you can probably do no better than ostrich eggshell beads. The oldest known examples of these tiny, Cheerio-like decorations, found in rock shelters in Tanzania, have been dated to around 50,000 years ago, while similar creations are still made by San hunter-gatherers in Southern Africa’s Kalahari Desert today.

The beads are often the last of many incarnations of an ostrich egg, explains Brian Stewart, an archaeologist at the University of Michigan. After finding an egg, the San—presumably like ancient human ancestors—carefully drill a hole in it and drain the white and yolk to be eaten. Then they wash out the shell, which makes a handy water flask. ...

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Meet the Author

Shawna Williams
Shawna was an editor at The Scientist from 2017 through 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Colorado College and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Previously, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, and in the communications offices of several academic research institutions. As news director, Shawna assigned and edited news, opinion, and in-depth feature articles for the website on all aspects of the life sciences. She is based in central Washington State, and is a member of the Northwest Science Writers Association and the National Association of Science Writers.
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