#copper age

Stephanie Brown in Robin (1993) #16

Natufian scuplture from from around 11,000, credited as the first artwork portraying sex

Little dude

4,500 year old quartz crystal dagger with ivory hilt,

The dagger was discovered in the elaborate tomb of a high-ranking individual, dubbed the "Ivory Lady" by archaeologists. The tomb was part of a large Copper Age necropolis and contained the remains of 25 individuals along with lavish grave goods, including gold fragments, amber beads, and other ivory objects.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the crystal dagger is its apparent symbolic or ritualistic significance. The use of rock crystal, a material prized for its rarity and associated with purity and spirituality, suggests that this dagger held a special place within the belief systems and practices of the Copper Age inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula.

The dagger's ivory hilt is thought to have come from an African elephant tusk, indicating established trade networks with North Africa during this period. The rock crystal itself may also have been sourced from a more distant location, suggesting that valuable materials were imported over vast distances.

The crystal dagger, along with the other impressive grave goods found in the tomb, challenges our preconceptions about the development of human civilization and highlights the remarkable achievements of these ancient people.

As we continue to unravel the mysteries of the Copper Age in this region, the legacy of the crystal dagger will undoubtedly endure, inspiring further research and deepening our understanding of the rich cultural heritage that has shaped the Iberian Peninsula over millennia.

vase shard with ibex | c. 3900 - 3500 BCE | found in Ĝirsu (modern-day iraq)

Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11187909

On 9 September 1991, two German tourists were hiking in the Ötztal Alps on the Austrian-Italian border when they found a body, thinking it was a recent death. A mountain gendarme came the next day to remove the body, which was in ice below its chest, only to be thwarted by weather so that it wasn't until 22 September that the body was salvaged. On the 24th, it was examined by an archaeologist who said it was at least 4,000 years old based on recovered objects. Later, that would be revised to about 5,000 years, with the most likely time of death being between 3239-3105 BCE.

By Wierer, U., Arrighi, S., Bertola, S., Kaufmann, G., Baumgarten, B., Pedrotti, A., Pernter, P. and Pelegrin, J. - https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0198292, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=124578050

Ötzi is the oldest natural mummy that we currently know of. He was covered in ice shortly after his death, preserving him, allowing us to find out a great deal about his life, how he lived, where he lived, his health, what the world was like around him, and what he ate just before he died one spring day or early summer day in the Copper Age. Analysis of his hair and stomach showed that Ötzi was an omnivore, that he likely consumed diary of some type, and several high nutrition herbs. Within his possessions were two birch bark baskets with some berries and polypore mushrooms on a leather cord.

We know that Ötzi died with a full stomach, having eaten within two hours of his death, so his meal hadn't had time to digest, so we know what he'd eaten most recently. His final meal consisted of either fresh or dried goat and deer meat with einkorn cakes. We also know that a bit earlier, he had some fruit, roots, and nuts with his penultimate meal.