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Friday, 4th April 2008 (2577 views)

Researchers near Late Titicaca in Peru have discovered a gold and turquoise necklace made 4,000 years ago.

The necklace is the oldest golden object to have been discovered in the Western hemisphere. It predates all other discoveries by an estimated 600 years.

Anthropologist Mark Aldenferfer made the discovery almost seven years ago but kept his discovery secret for fear of looters on the site and to make time to fully analyse his find.

Dr Aldenferfer said: "The gold reflects a universal tendency for human beings to strive for prestige and status. The gold reflects that process in people living in a simple society which is in the process of becoming more complex."

The artefact was discovered beside the jawbone of an adult skull in a burial pit at Jiskairumoko in Peru. It is believed that the necklace was a form of status symbol that would have brought the wearer great prestige.

Lake Titicaca stretches across the borders of both Peru and Bolivia in South America.

 

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