@palaeobeth and I are pleased to share our paper, out today in @PLOSONE, about ostrich eggshell (OES) beads and the spread of herding in Africa!

OES beads may be small, but they can reveal big stories about ancient human interaction. (a thread)

Link: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0225143

Previous research found OES bead sizes increase 2,000 years ago in southern Africa, corresponding with the intro of herding to the area. Our study re-examines this change using new data, and tests whether a similar transition accompanies the onset of herding in eastern Africa.

The beads reveal regionally different paths to food production, which is consistent with other data. Southern (green/top) beads are smaller overall, but include larger sizes from 2kya. Eastern (blue/bottom) sizes are larger and more variable, with no apparent shift 3-5kya.

In both regions, we see the persistence of existing traditions rather than an abrupt replacement of styles. The size differences are small, on the order of millimeters, yet they offer a potentially important line of evidence for investigating the spread of herding in Africa.

Many thanks to the people and museums who helped with access to the collections, the @UAlberta @UofA_Anthro where the majority of this research was undertaken, and the @MPI_SHH for publication support.



And thank you for reading!