The Denisovan Jewelers

While making the rounds this morning I ran across this on Austin Whitall's blog.

A very short and interesting (I hope) post: Denisovan stone bracelet, oldest ever found the article with many photographs says that in the Denisova Cave, in the same level where the Denisovan "pinky" was found, the team led by Dr Derevyanko the delicate remains of the oldest bracelet in the world, and it must have been made 40,000 years ago, by Densiovans. A ring was also found, but no details were given.

"In the same layer, where we found a Denisovan bone, were found interesting things; until then it was believed these the hallmark of the emergence of Homo sapiens,' he said. 'First of all, there were symbolic items, such as jewellery - including the stone bracelet as well as a ring, carved out of marble." said Dr. Derevyanko.

Patagonian Monsters

I had no idea that cultural materials were found at the site.


Denisova cave


The researchers have this to say

is intricately made with polished green stone and is thought to have adorned a very important woman or child on only special occasions. Yet this is no modern-day fashion accessory and is instead believed to be the oldest stone bracelet in the world, dating to as long ago as 40,000 years.

Unearthed in the Altai region of Siberia in 2008, after detailed analysis Russian experts now accept its remarkable age as correct.

New pictures show this ancient piece of jewellery in its full glory with scientists concluding it was made by our prehistoric human ancestors, the Denisovans, and shows them to have been far more advanced than ever realised.

'The bracelet is stunning - in bright sunlight it reflects the sun rays, at night by the fire it casts a deep shade of green,' said Anatoly Derevyanko, Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography in Novosibirsk, part of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

[pic]qx5550de1f.jpg[/pic

'It is unlikely it was used as an everyday jewellery piece. I believe this beautiful and very fragile bracelet was worn only for some exceptional moments.'

The bracelet was found inside the famous Denisova Cave, in the Altai Mountains, which is renowned for its palaeontological finds dating back to the Denisovans, who were known as homo altaiensis, an extinct species of humans genetically distinct from Neanderthals and modern humans.

Made of chlorite, the bracelet was found in the same layer as the remains of some of the prehistoric people and is thought to belong to them.

What made the discovery especially striking was that the manufacturing technology is more common to a much later period, such as the Neolithic era. Indeed, it is not clear yet how the Denisovans could have made the bracelet with such skill.

'In the same layer, where we found a Denisovan bone, were found interesting things; until then it was believed these the hallmark of the emergence of Homo sapiens,' he said. 'First of all, there were symbolic items, such as jewellery - including the stone bracelet as well as a ring, carved out of marble.'

The full details of the ring are yet to be revealed.

'These finds were made using technological methods - boring stone, drilling with an implement, grinding - that are traditionally considered typical for a later time, and nowhere in the world they were used so early, in the Paleolithic era. At first, we connected the finds with a progressive form of modern human, and now it turned out that this was fundamentally wrong. Obviously it was Denisovans, who left these things.'

This indicated that 'the most progressive of the triad' (Homo sapiens, Homo Neanderthals and Denisovans) were Denisovans, who according to their genetic and morphological characters were much more archaic than Neanderthals and modern human.'

Denisovan Bracelet

This find has serious implications for what it means to be culturally modern. The level of craftsmanship is well above what is seen in work by modern humans of the era.

a reply to: punkinworks10

Nice.
First I had heard of anything other than tools associated with Denisovan remains.

Well that is bloody amazing, culturally modern as you say.

Kaboom!


The oldest evidence i know of for cultural modernity in HSS is 44kya, and the aesthetic quality of that craft work to me was far inferior to this.

Big news, this

ETA: the link suggests that the stone is not local either, i'd love to know how far it travelled.

originally posted by: skalla
Well that is bloody amazing, culturally modern as you say.

Kaboom!


The oldest evidence i know of for cultural modernity in HSS is 44kya, and the aesthetic quality of that craft work to me was far inferior to this.

Big news, this

ETA: the link suggests that the stone is not local either, i'd love to know how far it travelled.

If not for the fact that this item comes from the denisovan layers, i would say that it was historical.
Not only is the craftsmanship phenominal, but it was a composite piece, not just a rock with a hole, but it had baubles and bangles.
The stone was certainly chosen for its asthetic qualities, and i would like to know how far the stone travelled as well.

I'm always curious how we "modern" homeo sapiens" got so disconnected from our ancestors, our history our knowledge, our selves.

What on this beautiful planet happened, to cause such a disconnect in memory, intellect, connection from our ancestors?

Must of been something pretty tragic and traumatizing for the loss of so much history etc.. maybe a great flood? The survivors, and their emerging generations naturally became disconnected?

Eitherway it's strange how we just DON'T KNOW and have to trace ourselves, back to ourselves...

Obviously our ancestors, who we are genetic copies of, though very spread and less pure, we're not as dumb and useless as "modern" establishment wants us to belive.

Giza pyramids. Those two words in fact, prove they were very advanced intellectually, as we still have no honest idea how they were created in ancient times.

All yhe things we have lost on the sands of time...

a reply to: punkinworks10

Technique/technology wise, one would assume it's out of place at first glance for sure.... it feels neolithic from a variety of angles. Really exciting stuff and the more we find out about this, the better.

Many thanks for bringing this here!

a reply to: punkinworks10

It'd surely be a massive 'wow' moment if this object can be shown to be Denisovan. Without wanting to be a curmudgeon, wouldn't it be more likely to be a much later artefact that somehow got displaced into an older layer?

Do you remember all those discussions on Hall of Maat about dating diatoms to nail the period of artefacts at Hueyatlaco? Sam Van Landingham's papers were analysed to death. I only bring it up to ask where the detailed analyses are that support this item being Denisovan.

It's like we've gone from a finger bone to a species that must have had a large and widespread culture to evolve the technology of 'fashion' and the means of creating it.

I'm not educated enough to dismiss this and that's not what I'm saying here. I'm just thinking out loud that this object is anomalous for the purported period and represents quite a fascinating puzzle.

a reply to: Kandinsky

I'm not educated enough to dismiss this and that's not what I'm saying here. I'm just thinking out loud that this object is anomalous for the purported period and represents quite a fascinating puzzle.

Are you sure that you don't work for the Smithsonian?

a reply to: butcherguy

Are they short of a janitor?

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: butcherguy

Are they short of a janitor?

Apparently not. They did not even call for an interview when I applied for that position.

a reply to: Kandinsky

Yeah, site contamination or hoax was my first response. But if proven true this changes everything. Those were some very sophisticated pieces both in manufacture and design...perhaps brought in by another culture.

a reply to: butcherguy

Do you have two sets of teeth and red hair? If not, that might be you didn't get through to interview.

a reply to: olaru12

*If* they're 40kya, there shouldn't be another culture on the planet manufacturing that type of object. Skalla will chime in here, but I'm thinking a bracelet like that would need trade routes, some type of lathe and a drill.

Stuff like that comes at the end of a long road of progress, trial and error.

It's damned interesting

ETA - it seems that chlorite is very soft and easily carved

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: olaru12

*If* they're 40kya, there shouldn't be another culture on the planet manufacturing that type of object. Skalla will chime in here, but I'm thinking a bracelet like that would need trade routes, some type of lathe and a drill.

I know, I was alluding to the Atlantean, Lemurians that I'm still not convinced they are simply the products of myth.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: olaru12

*If* they're 40kya, there shouldn't be another culture on the planet manufacturing that type of object. Skalla will chime in here, but I'm thinking a bracelet like that would need trade routes, some type of lathe and a drill.

Stuff like that comes at the end of a long road of progress, trial and error.

It's damned interesting

ETA - it seems that chlorite is very soft and easily carved

Oi, i resemble that remark!

a reply to: Kandinsky
Hi Kandinsky,

I only bring it up to ask where the detailed analyses are that support this item being Denisovan.

Yes, i would love to see the field report.(except its is certainly in russian) As much as I might give the russians a hard time about manufacturing and stuff,
they do good work in the fields of archeology and anthropology.
SInce its been nearly five years since the denisovan find was released, and since the cave has been worked for quite a bit longer that that, I am going to assume they have done due diligence, with regards to the startigraphic placement of the item.
If it was intrusive into the denisovan layer, that should be readily appearant.

One point id like to make, the neanderthals were in the cave before and after the denisovans, and the later HSN was admixed with the denisovans and the denisovans were admixed with the first HSN, so the item could very well be Neanderthal. Or, since there have been signs of cannablism in the cave, maybe it is modern human that fell into a "The Hills Have Eyes" scenario?, you know cannibal hill billys.

Stuff like that comes at the end of a long road of progress, trial and error.

You mean a long road from something like this


or



Oldest engraving

a reply to: punkinworks10

Fair enough and I agree with your points - they make sense. On the other hand, I'm still left with suspended judgement and hope that something more evidential comes out of it all.

The news reports don't raise the questions of how such an object could be created at that time and by these people who we are only beginning to conceive of.

a reply to: Kandinsky

It could probs be carved with antler or bone chisels or the eternal flint flake, or alternatively the wind powered CNC machine stashed in the back of the cave for special occasions and making spare parts for their quad bikes.

originally posted by: skalla
Well that is bloody amazing, culturally modern as you say.

Kaboom!


The oldest evidence i know of for cultural modernity in HSS is 44kya, and the aesthetic quality of that craft work to me was far inferior to this.

Big news, this

ETA: the link suggests that the stone is not local either, i'd love to know how far it travelled.

I would like to phrase it like this; it's paleolithic man behaving according to our definitions of neolithic man... which either shows us that exceptions prove the rules, or that our chronological classifications are questionable. We're not even talking about the neolithic revolution of Cro Magnon, but Homo Denisova! This supposed 40 000 year old bracelet made by a largely unknown human race corresponds with what we suppose Homo Sapiens was doing from about roughly 10 000 BCE to the arrival of the Bronze Age, so in that sense it's an Antikythera mechanism. It fits so perfectly into the neolithic kit - with its fascination for green jade - that it almost makes you wonder.

There are a few documented examples of such untimely behavior, which is why I started this thread:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Yes, it will be interesting to see where it came from.