“These are the oldest known fish-hooks associated with mortuary practices from anywhere in the world and perhaps indicate that fishing equipment was viewed as essential for transition to the afterlife in this area. As Sue O'Connor from the School of Culture, History and Language in the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific told : This discovery emphasizes how vital fishing was for the subsistence of the people of Alor Island – a location where it was difficult to obtain other sources of protein. flavum (L) showing detail of the perforation at the umbo (above) and wear and rounding on the ventral margin. There is also evidence of extreme wear and rounding on the ventral margin of the valve consistent with use for scraping, and there are traces of a red colourant on the surface.”īivalve Vasticardium cf. It is still uncertain about what the bivalve was used for, however an examination of the artifact shows “there is evidence of smoothing and polish, which may result from threading. 5,000-year-old site used for fish processing and mysterious rituals involving wolverines and ermineĪpart from the fish hooks, a perforated bivalve was placed near the individual’s jaw.Researchers trace origin of global fish trade in medieval London.“Convergent technological evolution, whereby the same form of artefact develops independently in multiple, widely spaced locations because it is the most fitting form to meet the functional requirements of particular ecological conditions, is clearly possible.” As the authors of the current study warn ,

While some researchers suggest similarities in technology provide evidence for human migration, cultural contact, or perhaps even fish hooks being left at various locations worldwide by migrating tuna, similar practices and artifacts do not necessarily mean cultures had direct contact. The fish hooks found in the grave are similar to rotating hooks which were used in Japan, Australia, Arabia, California, Chile, Mexico and Oceania.

Rotating hooks found in prehistoric contexts elsewhere in the world, along with ethnographic accounts of hook use, show that while some hooks have knobs or notches to prevent slippage of the line, many do not.” None of the Alor hooks are barbed, and none have a notched shank for securing the line. Spare hooks were occasionally worn around the neck and could be used to replace those lost or broken during fishing. A wealth of ethnography records their primary function as being for fishing. “In Australia, such hooks were made and used exclusively by women. As the article in the journal Antiquity on the discovery explains: This corresponds with ethnographic records on fishing in Australia. Perhaps the women of Alor Island were in charge of providing fish for their families. ( Sofía Samper Carro )Īrchaeologists from Australian National University say that the discovery of the fish hooks alongside a female body (if the skeleton is confirmed as female) means it is necessary to reconsider the belief that men were the sole fish catchers on those islands so long ago.

Mesolithic Fish and Chips? 8,000-Year-Old Meal Whets the Appetite of Russian ArchaeologistsĬircular rotating fish-hooks (A, B, C and E) found with the burial.

Gyotaku: A Unique Japanese Tradition in Which a Fish Becomes a Work of Art.

The journal article on the discovery describes the fish hooks as “ circular rotating hooks, in which the point curves inwards towards the shank, leaving only a narrow opening (gape) between the point end and the shank.” The fish hooks included in the grave on Alor Island are five semi-circular artifacts made from snail shell. Those artifacts were found from the Ershi cemetery in Siberia. They also show there were some similarities – and some argue connections - between people living in the oceanic region at that time.īefore this discovery, the oldest known fish hooks included in a burial were dated to approximately 9,000 years ago, according to. The collection of fish hooks placed alongside the remains of a woman who lived there about 12,000 years ago are the oldest known fish hooks to be found as part of funerary goods in the world. Fishing was an important part of life, and apparently death as well, in the Pleistocene on Indonesia's Alor Island, northwest of East Timor.

Ancient fish hooks