Oldest gold artifact unearthed in Americas is 4,000 years old

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

CHICAGO (AFP) — Archeologists have unearthed a nearly 4,000-year-old necklace which shows that gold was being used as a status symbol in the Americas much earlier than previously thought, according to a study released Monday.

The necklace is the oldest gold artifact discovered in the Americas to date and was found in the remains of a burial site in the Lake Titicaca basin of southern Peru.

It shows that the complex social developments which lead to status displays were present while hunter-gatherers were just beginning to settle into permanent villages.

"This was a big surprise to us," said lead author Mark Aldenderfer of the University of Arizona, Tucson.

"Most people... tend to suggest that the only way you can have the creation and elaboration of...