accessoriesplural of ac·ces·so·ry (Noun) A thing that can be added to something else in order to make it more useful, versatile, or attractive.
Our adoration of accessories has been around for as long as history has been recorded, it seems we've always been fascinated by adorning ourselves with precious metals, stones and amulets whether it be to express our wealth, improve our outfit or ward of some evil spirit, disease or wrong doing.
The earliest known pieces of jewellery made by modern humans are three shell beads dated between 90,000 and 100,000 years old.
Two of the ancient beads come from Skhul Cave on the slopes of Mount Carmel in Israel. The other comes from the site of Oued Djebbana in Algeria. The finds, which pre-date other ancient examples by 25,000 years, are described in the US journal Science.
The pea-sized items all have similar holes which would have allowed them to be strung together into a necklace or bracelet, researchers believe.
These early pieces of jewellery symbolise a huge shift in the development of modern humans.
Professor Chris Stringer of London's Natural History Museum states
"The interesting thing about necklaces and this kind of behaviour is that it is symbolic. When we wear items like this, we are sending a message,The message may be that we are powerful, or wealthy, or sexy, that we're part of a particular group, or to ward off evil. They're not just decorative; we think they had a social meaning."
Well things certainly haven't changed much, after 100,000 years it seems that we aren't far removed from our ancestors after all!!
