THE PAINTED COWRY SHELLS
After the lengthy treatment of the Berekhat Ram figurine, I will try to be briefer with the painted cowry shells. It is gradually becoming clear that there is abundant evidence that the conscious use of red ochre is one of the earliest deliberate uses of colour and that its widespread use coincides with the rise of Anatomically Modern Humans (cf.
e.g. Hovers et al. 2003; Bar-Yosef Mayer et al. 2009). The cowries represent a significant contrast to this widespread vague use of colour for decoration in that d’Errico’s work demonstrates the roughly simultaneous use of a similar technique on a similar surface in three different regions (southern and north-western Africa and Palestine), nearly 100,000 years ago. There is little question that this relates to the widespread use of personal bodily adornment by different groups of our species (Bouzouggar et al. 2007).The shells examined were roughly identical in the three different regions, and all had traces of red ochre. Although one could speculate about possible - emic - sexual or menstrual significance related to the colour red and the shape of the cowries, the most important aspect of this particular group of finds is the fact that some kind of “symbolling” must be involved. Following d’Errico’s methodology as mentioned above, one can separate each individual step to demonstrate a deliberate practice. However, in this case, it is not necessary to posit potential “symbolling” since the mere distribution of the material alone demonstrates that the idea was communicated from one group of humans to another, and that they copied the use. Thus, regardless of emic meaning, discourse is demonstrated.
In a sense, this demonstrates that the appearance of this type of the communication of ideas over long distances appears with the migration of Anatomically Modern Humans, and thus what characterizes humans on this level can be associated with our direct ancestors. Crucial, however, are (a) the use of marine shells as beads some 35,000 years before they were used in Europe and also (b) that there is no evidence of personal ornamentation of any kind during some 40,000 years between before the first documented usage in Africa and the Near East (ca. 80,000 years ago) and the beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic of art in Europe, ca. 40,000 years ago (when the custom is documented in Africa, Europe, and Asia alike: see d’Errico et al. 2009). Thus, there is a gap in the documentation - but it nevertheless remains clear that the extension into Europe was related to the migration of our ancestors. And it is also clear that personal body ornamentation was part of that identity, which spread with our ancestors.