Archaeologists have found in Spain an artifact of a hippo bone of 4700 years
Archaeologists have found in Spain an artifact of a hippo bone of 4700 years
Researchers from University of Barcelona identified the most ancient well -known object from the bone of the hippo. This find comes from the monument to Bobil Madurel (municipality Sant-Kirze delles, the province of Barcelona) and dates from the time about 4700 years ago, the Eneolithic era.
At that time, the Mediterranean was not a hippo bone in the Mediterranean. Therefore, this object opens up new prospects for studying networks of exchange on the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. The opening is described in the journal Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.
The subject was raised in 1977 during excavations and is stored in the Museum of the History of the Sabel. In a new study, scientists determined what it was made of, conducted a taxonomic, trasological analysis and dated the context of the location of the radiocarbon method.
Photo: University of Barcelona
Spectrometry with the transformation of Fourier in the infrared range, together with anatomical and taxonomic identification, made it possible to determine the object as the first lower cutter of the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). This is an object with a length of just over 10 cm, 13.2 mm wide and a weight of 11 g. It has a polished surface and small red pigment spots.
Researchers suggested that The subject could be a stylized human figure or idol. However, it could be an object associated with the creation of textiles, possibly a block (a tool that is used to tightly compact and compact the thread, fixing it in the canvas). This hypothesis is associated with the presence of two spinning rods (weighing for spindle) in the same structure in which it appeared. In addition, a red pigment was found on the subject, consisting of a mixture of iron oxygidroxides and organic binding, such as animal fat.
The inhabitants of the Pyrenee Peninsula several thousand years ago had communicated exchange ties with Africa and even, through the African coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Asia. These contacts have already been proven by the finds of elephant tusks from Africa and Asia in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula. However, the bones of the hippo are very rare and date back to the later time.
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