Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Research news: Gold jewelry discovery in Peru a "complete shock"

The News:
Gold jewelry discovery in Peru a "complete shock"
Denver Post Wire Report
Article Last Updated: 04/01/2008 12:46:47 AM MDT
WASHINGTON — The earliest known gold jewelry made in the Americas has been discovered in southern Peru. The gold necklace, made nearly 4,000 years ago, was found in a burial site near Lake Titicaca, researchers report in today's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The discovery "was a complete shock," said Mark Aldenderfer, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona.In the past, it had been assumed that a society needed to be settled to produce agricultural surpluses that can support activities such as making ornamental objects, he explained. But the people living in this region at the time were still primarily hunter-gatherers, he said.

The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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