Prehistoric bead — nearly 13,000 years old — found in WY. It’s the oldest of its kind

Ancient peoples in North America liked to dress up too. And when they did, many of them wore beads made of bone. This is among the conclusions archaeologists drew after finding a prehistoric piece of jewelry in Wyoming.

Archaeologists uncovered what they think may be the oldest known bead in North America. In a paper published Feb. 5 in Scientific Reports, study authors detail the sighting of this personal ornament dating back 12,940 years.

The bead is made of hare bone, providing experts with the first solid evidence that people in the Clovis era, a prehistoric era in North America, used bones from the rabbit cousin for personal fashion.

To this day, hares — and particularly snowshoe hares — are prevalent in Wyoming and neighboring areas. According to the National Wildlife Federation, hares thrive in high-elevation forests, which makes them prosperous in the Rocky Mountains of the West.

According to Texas A & M University, previous research found that people of the Clovis era ate hare meat among other animals native to their region. So, it makes sense that these ancient peoples would then do something with the leftover bones.

The bead was found at a mammoth hunters’ campsite next to La Prele Creek in Wyoming, alongside a collection of other cultural artifacts, giving archaeologists the indication that this wasn’t just a stray piece of bone from a carnivore’s lunch. Additionally, the creek site was not a common predator hangout.

The bone bead is tube-shaped – about 7 millimeters in length with an internal diameter of 1.6 millimeters. The bead is also decorated with small grooves on the outside, reminding experts of other pieces of personal fashion that have been found before.

Prehistoric fashion has been a focus of curiosity for archaeologists studying ancient peoples and societies. What did they wear and what does this tell us about societies that came before us?

Discoveries like this little bead answer these questions and broaden experts’ understanding of ancient cultures, their customs, resourcefulness and the way they interacted with their surroundings.

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