Scientific Reports (Nov 2021)
A 41,500 year-old decorated ivory pendant from Stajnia Cave (Poland)
- Sahra Talamo,
- Mikołaj Urbanowski,
- Andrea Picin,
- Wioletta Nowaczewska,
- Antonino Vazzana,
- Marcin Binkowski,
- Silvia Cercatillo,
- Marcin Diakowski,
- Helen Fewlass,
- Adrian Marciszak,
- Dragana Paleček,
- Michael P. Richards,
- Christina M. Ryder,
- Virginie Sinet-Mathiot,
- Geoff M. Smith,
- Paweł Socha,
- Matt Sponheimer,
- Krzysztof Stefaniak,
- Frido Welker,
- Hanna Winter,
- Andrzej Wiśniewski,
- Marcin Żarski,
- Stefano Benazzi,
- Adam Nadachowski,
- Jean-Jacques Hublin
Affiliations
- Sahra Talamo
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Mikołaj Urbanowski
- Independent Researcher
- Andrea Picin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Wioletta Nowaczewska
- Department of Human Biology, University of Wrocław
- Antonino Vazzana
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna
- Marcin Binkowski
- X-Ray Microtomography Lab, Department of Biomedical Computer Systems, Institute of Computer Science, Faculty of Computer and Materials Science, University of Silesia
- Silvia Cercatillo
- Department of Chemistry G. Ciamician, University of Bologna
- Marcin Diakowski
- Department of Stone Age Archaeology, Institute of Archeology, University of Wrocław
- Helen Fewlass
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Adrian Marciszak
- Department of Paleozoology, University of Wrocław
- Dragana Paleček
- Department of Chemistry G. Ciamician, University of Bologna
- Michael P. Richards
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University
- Christina M. Ryder
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder
- Virginie Sinet-Mathiot
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Geoff M. Smith
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Paweł Socha
- Department of Paleozoology, University of Wrocław
- Matt Sponheimer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder
- Krzysztof Stefaniak
- Department of Paleozoology, University of Wrocław
- Frido Welker
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Hanna Winter
- Polish Geological Institute-National Research Institute
- Andrzej Wiśniewski
- Department of Stone Age Archaeology, Institute of Archeology, University of Wrocław
- Marcin Żarski
- Polish Geological Institute-National Research Institute
- Stefano Benazzi
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Adam Nadachowski
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences
- Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01221-6
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 11,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 11
Abstract
Abstract Evidence of mobiliary art and body augmentation are associated with the cultural innovations introduced by Homo sapiens at the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic. Here, we report the discovery of the oldest known human-modified punctate ornament, a decorated ivory pendant from the Paleolithic layers at Stajnia Cave in Poland. We describe the features of this unique piece, as well as the stratigraphic context and the details of its chronometric dating. The Stajnia Cave plate is a personal 'jewellery' object that was created 41,500 calendar years ago (directly radiocarbon dated). It is the oldest known of its kind in Eurasia and it establishes a new starting date for a tradition directly connected to the spread of modern Homo sapiens in Europe.
