News Anthropology

An ancient social safety net in Africa was built on beads

Ostrich eggshell beads suggest the long-distance network was established by 33,000 years ago

ostrich eggshell beads

Ostrich eggshell beads, including these shown, yielded chemical clues to a social exchange system that covered much of southern Africa by around 33,000 years ago.

B. Stewart, Yuchao Zhao, John Klausmeyer

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

Hunter-gatherers strung a social safety net across much of southern Africa starting at least 33,000 years ago, a new study suggests.