12,300-year-old pendants found in Alaska

Researchers working in Alaska have uncovered a pair of 12,300-year-old pendants that may be some of the first examples of artwork in North America.

“We think it might be a pendant, an ornament, maybe worn near the face,” Potter said.

And what might they mean?

“Art serves as a way to fix social boundaries,” Potter said. “‘This is our group, not yours.’ These could be a way to communicate. They could be the first evidence we have for social boundary maintenance (in high-latitude North America).”

Potter also wonders if the pendants are signs of women at the Mead site. The ice-age sites scattered throughout Interior Alaska are often hilltops or cliffsides used by hunters, presumably men.

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Story: Ned Rozell, Alaska Science Forum | Photo: Ben Potter