The prehistoric jewelry They are part of art in all its manifestations. These contain characteristic elements that identify them over time. Even before language appeared, spoken or written, records of jewelry already existed. Throughout the history of mankind, jewelry has helped man to have the care of the gods. Also as a symbol of social status. As well as to improve its appearance, one of the purposes attributed to jewelry for 5,000 years.
It is a recognized fact that the first spiritual need of these early men was the decoration of their bodies. For this reason both jewelry and art represented a window to the soul of humanity. One of the first elements that separated man from the animal kingdom. Therefore, making and wearing jewelry was part of the desire to capture the essence of beauty. It was a symbol of recognition of himself. To feel the power they carried within them. The one that made them natural leaders.
What were the first prehistoric jewels?
In general terms, the first jewels were shells of mollusks and the oldest remains of these prehistoric jewelry They were discovered in a cave in Blombos, South Africa. This find is believed to date back to the Stone Age, some 75,000 to 100,000 years ago.
The shells found had perforations, so it was presumed that they were to be used as pendants. By then, jewelry was made from natural materials. These were very easily available. Among them can be mentioned: animal teeth, bones, various types of shells, carved stone and wood.
Therefore, it is believed that the prehistoric jewelry appeared as a functional element. They were used to fasten clothing. Later its use as an aesthetic ornament, or for spiritual and religious use. On the other hand, it is argued that it is very likely that the first precious stones were found accidentally while searching for fish or shellfish.
It is worth highlighting the fact that these stones were the hardest objects known and their colors, blue, green or red, stood out among the gray and dark color of the river bed. In addition, their scarcity would encourage their use as a symbol of wealth and status, endowing them with powers, such as protecting against evil and curing illnesses.
Advancing further in the history of humanity, we find the Cro-Magnon man, who more than 40,000 years ago promoted the manufacture and use of jewelry when he began to migrate from Africa to the Middle East, the Indus Valley and the European continent. . Thus, as these early humans traveled, they began to collect objects, so that the jewelry they wore told the story of their journey.
What does the archaeological evidence say?
Regarding this issue, the archaeological evidence highlights the findings of the archaeologist Edouard Piette in the Paleolithic cave site known as Mas d’Azil, located in the French Pyrenees, who found necklaces and bracelets made of bones, teeth, mother -pearl, shells and colored stones together with the same segment of thread or strip of animal sinew.
Subsequently, primitive men began to use metals, and the first signs of the oldest use of gold in jewelry are found in Spain. There, the metal artifacts from the Maltravieso Caves in Cáceres and the El Mirón caves in Cantabria date back to the “golden age” of the late Palaeolithic. But metallurgy has been around for about 10,000 years, when humans began using native copper, silver and tin to create tools and possibly the first jewelry.
In this way, copper punches dating to around 7000 BC were discovered in eastern Turkey. In this vein, the first bronze alloy was not developed until around 3500 BC. Marking the beginning of the “Bronze Age”.
The findings found at the Malagana site between 2002 and 2007 attest to simple decorative pieces made with animal hair and skins that did not survive the passage of time, but the oldest pieces of jewelry did survive, whose shells More than 110,000 years old, they prove that the modern human race used jewelry.
Prehistoric jewels today
It is important to highlight that, in the current jewelry sample, we can still see the similarity with the ancestral jewelry. Observing jewelry with symbols and materials used by prehistoric man. Above all, in the artistic trend of the New Age, which seeks the connection of the decorative with the spiritual. And that he sees in man a God for himself, whose power has not yet been fully developed.
New Age artists are based on this amalgamation of combinations to make their designs. And thus capture in your jewelry not only a beautiful and tasteful image, but also the feeling, energy and spiritual touch that reflects beliefs and principles of a current that has many defenders around the world, although there are also many detractors that define it. like a dud.