Study of ancient adornments suggests nine distinct cultures lived in Europe during the Paleolithic

Phys dot org ^ | January 30, 2024 | Bob Yirka

[SunkenCiv]

A team of anthropologists at Université Bordeaux has found evidence of nine distinct cultures living in what is now Europe during the Gravettian period. In their study, reported in the journal Nature Human Behavior, the group analyzed personal adornments worn by people living in the region between 24,000 and 34,000 years ago...

Prior research has shown that humans have been adorning themselves for thousands of years. In this new effort, the researchers looked at the types of adornments that were worn by people living in Europe during the Gravettian period—a time during the Paleolithic when a culture known as the Gravettian populated the region.

During this time, people were still hunter–gatherers and dressed themselves in animal skins. They also collected objects to use for adorning themselves, either by attachment to their clothes, their limbs or to their skin. Such objects included animal teeth, bones, ivory, rocks, shells, amber and wood. Some objects were attached or worn as they were, while others were carved or had holes that allowed for attachment via thread.

The researchers looked into the possibility of identifying distinct subcultures among the people living in Europe during the Gravettian period by identifying unique characteristics of their adornments. To that end, they obtained hundreds of such ornamentations and analyzed them to look for patterns.

They found what they describe as consistent differences between groups living in different areas. They found, for example, that people living in what is now Eastern Europe tended to prefer white objects, such as ivory and teeth, whereas those people living on the other side of the Alps tended to gravitate toward more vibrantly colored objects, such as stones and shells. The differences, the team claims, were striking, and strong enough to allow for the identification of nine distinct cultural groups.

[SunkenCiv]

Material used for Gravettian personal ornaments. a, Types of teeth used as ornaments identified at occupation and burial sites attributed to the Gravettian. 1, bear canine; 2, bear incisor; 3, bovid incisor; 4, European elk canine (Collection PACEA); 5, Felis canine; 6, fox canine; 7, fox incisor; 8, hare tooth (incisor) (Collection PACEA); 9, herbivore incisor; 10, horse incisor; 11, human tooth (canine); 12, hyena canine; 13, lynx canine; 14, red deer vestigial canine; 15, red deer incisor; 16, Sparus aurata tooth; 17, steppe bison canine (Collection PACEA); 18, steppe bison incisor (Collection PACEA); 19, wolf canine; 20, wolf incisor. Scale bar, 2 cm. b, Shaped ornaments and modified bones identified at occupation and burial sites attributed to the Gravettian. Scale bar, 1 cm.

Credit: Nature Human Behaviour (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01803-6

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[Arkeonews] The location of the Gravettian cultural clusters on a map of modern Europe (sea levels at the time were 100 meters lower). Note the intriguing similarity between Europe and Greece, despite the sea between.

Image credit: Baker et al., Nature Human Behavior 2024

[SunkenCiv]

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[PeterPrinciple]

the group analyzed personal adornments worn by people living in the region between 24,000 and 34,000 years ago...

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Most likely the SAME people but different fashions over time.

Beatle haircuts didn’t last for ever. Hula-hoops. miniskirts. etc.

[ClearCase_guy]

[ProtectOurFreedom]

COLONIZERS!!"

SETTLERS!!!!"

Probably none had white skin, either.

[SunkenCiv]

Perhaps a little of that, mostly luck of the draw on population rise and fall, natural climate having an impact on migrations, prosperity, and decline.

[SunkenCiv]

The backstory of the Elder Days showed a couple of things -- number one, the Elves were giant a-holes, and number two, novelists, being humans, can't write an interesting story about peaceful, workaday, ordinary lives. :^)

[conejo99]

I imagine the researchers considered this, but I wonder if the ready availability of materials could explain the differences.

[enumerated]

IBTC (creationists)

[Sirius Lee]

Hell the people of modern day Roma will pretend they don’t know what you’re saying and laugh at your shoes if your from Monterotando. And Napoli? Fuggetaboutit. Might as well be a space alien. Modern Europe should be so lucky as to have only nine different cultures.

[ComputerGuy]

Fascinating stuff. I read that the Leotis People wore big showy necklaces.

[Doctor Congo]

I doubt there was much trading going on so these people had to make ornaments out of what was available.

[IrishBrigade]

‘the group analyzed personal adornments worn by people living in the region between 24,000 and 34,000 years ago...’

there was a time in my life when I might have believed something like this, but since I’ve learned from freepers that the earth cannot be more than 10,000 years old, tops, well, this can’t be so...

[SunkenCiv]

You're wrong again.

[SunkenCiv]

:^)

[Magic Fingers]

COLONIZERS!!”
SETTLERS!!!!”
Probably none had white skin, either.

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Reading my mind! GMTA...

[SunkenCiv]

Ah yes, the fabled Blingleolithic period...

[fella]

So at least 9 recognizable tribes?

[Cronos]

Actually the hunter gatherers were darker skinned with light eyes. They didn’t need less melanin as they got their vitamin D from animal protein. Which is why modern day Eskimos are brown not pink.

The farmers who came from the middle east to Europe starting 6500 BC were lighter skinned and got paler as they did not get enough vitamin D from plant food .

[IrishBrigade]

‘You’re wrong again.’

what, again...? seriously, run a diagnostic on your sarcasm meter..