The oldest known jewelry in the world consists of two perforated beads made from shells of the sea snail
Nassarius gibbosulus. These beads were discovered at
Skhul in Palestine, and were recently dated to between 100,000 and 135,000 years ago. Similar ornaments (some made from shells of
Nassarius kraussianus and the bittersweet clam
Glycymeris nummaria as well as from
Nassarius gibbosulus) have been discovered at a number of
Middle Paleolithic sites, and are considered a key piece of evidence for the theory that early
anatomically modern humans in Africa and the Levant were more culturally sophisticated than had previously been thought. In some cases shells had been transported a considerable distance from the species' natural habitat. One example is the site of
Oued Djebbana in Algeria, for example, where an
N. gibbosulus bead was found; at the time the shell was used there, this site was at least 190 km away from the sea. During the
Neolithic period shell
necklaces were made with the shells of 3 genera
Spondylus,
Glycymeris and
Charonia. == See also ==