80,000-year-old Beads Shed Light on Early Culture

Heather Whipps

Special to LiveScience
LiveScience.comMon Jun 18, 8:50 AM ET

Even the very first modern humans may have spruced themselves up with beaded bling.

Twelve shell beads discovered in a cave in eastern Morocco have been dated at more than 80,000 years old, making them one of the earliest examples of human culture. The beads are colored with red ochre and show signs of being strung together.

Similar beads have been found in other parts of Africa and the Middle East, suggesting the first Homo sapiens literally carried their penchant for baubles with them as they populated the world.

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80,000-year-old Beads Shed Light on Early Culture