In 2008 a team of scientists who were led by an archaeologist from the University of Arizona discovered the oldest collection to date of gold artefacts found in America. The discovery indicates that early human life with limited resources still understood status symbols and their value. The site, at Jiskairumoko in the South American Andes was explored by professor of anthropology Mark Aldenderfer. It is in a drainage basin here where groups of hunters and gatherers began to make the transition to a more settled existence.
The excavated site included a burial which contained a turquoise and native gold necklace. This had been shaped by a hammer and could have belonged to someone with a higher status in the community. Carbon-14 dates for Jiskairumoko date from 2155 to 1936 BC so the necklace is around four thousand years old. This makes it 600 years older than previous artefacts thought to be the earliest ever made throughout the Americas.
Gold metallurgy is practically exclusive to societies who hold the expertise to create agricultural surpluses and hereditary elite members. Finding the funds to gain raw materials and having the time and skill to create jewellery is a big task for a person who survives by subsistence. The big surprise for finding these artefacts here is that Jiskairumoko was a simple village.
The artist, whoever he or she was, hammered the gold to make it flat and thin enough to roll into cylinder beads. Each cylinder bead was separated with a green bead space and a turquoise bead in the middle. The materials used would not have been found in the Titicaca Basin so a trek of some distance would have been completed to acquire the materials.
Evidence found from Jiskairumoko enforces the hypothesis that the earliest metal industry formed in the Andes was with native gold. It also gives insight into how wealthier people in society gained higher status within society, opening the door for generations of ruling hereditary leaders.
If you have any old gold of your own that may not be quite as precious but still worth something, then send your scrap gold off to a gold buyer. Many buy gold from customers all over the UK and with gold prices at a record high, now is a great time to capitalise on this. Getting rid of your old gold and anything that you no longer need can be refreshing; you never know something you sell could be worth a small fortune.
The excavated site included a burial which contained a turquoise and native gold necklace. This had been shaped by a hammer and could have belonged to someone with a higher status in the community. Carbon-14 dates for Jiskairumoko date from 2155 to 1936 BC so the necklace is around four thousand years old. This makes it 600 years older than previous artefacts thought to be the earliest ever made throughout the Americas.
Gold metallurgy is practically exclusive to societies who hold the expertise to create agricultural surpluses and hereditary elite members. Finding the funds to gain raw materials and having the time and skill to create jewellery is a big task for a person who survives by subsistence. The big surprise for finding these artefacts here is that Jiskairumoko was a simple village.
The artist, whoever he or she was, hammered the gold to make it flat and thin enough to roll into cylinder beads. Each cylinder bead was separated with a green bead space and a turquoise bead in the middle. The materials used would not have been found in the Titicaca Basin so a trek of some distance would have been completed to acquire the materials.
Evidence found from Jiskairumoko enforces the hypothesis that the earliest metal industry formed in the Andes was with native gold. It also gives insight into how wealthier people in society gained higher status within society, opening the door for generations of ruling hereditary leaders.
If you have any old gold of your own that may not be quite as precious but still worth something, then send your scrap gold off to a gold buyer. Many buy gold from customers all over the UK and with gold prices at a record high, now is a great time to capitalise on this. Getting rid of your old gold and anything that you no longer need can be refreshing; you never know something you sell could be worth a small fortune.
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