Middle Stone Age Shell Beads from South Africa

Abstract

There are two competing models for the emergence of modern human behavior: first, a late emergence in Africa or Eurasia at 50 to 40 thousand years ago (ka), and second, a gradual transition in Africa between 250 to 50 ka (1). In both models, personal ornaments and art are unquestioned expressions of sym-bolism that equate with modern human be-havior. The earliest undisputed African per-sonal ornaments are 13 ostrich eggshell beads from Enkapune Ya Muto in Kenya at 40 ka (2). Evidence from Eurasia includes two per-forated teeth, dated43 ka, from Bacho Kiro in Bulgaria and 58 marine shell beads from the 41-ka layers of Üçaǧızlı, Turkey (3).