<p id="thickbox_headline">Archaeologists in Morocco on Thursday unveiled what they said was the oldest jewellery in the world, perforated seashells dating back as much as 150,000 years.</p>.<p>The shells, assumed to have formed necklaces and bracelets, were discovered in the Bizmoune cave near the coastal resort of Essaouira.</p>.<p>They were dated as 142,000-150,000 years old, according to researcher Abdeljalil Bouzouggar.</p>.<p>"This discovery has enormous implications for the history of humanity," he said, adding that it suggested the owner was using language.</p>.<p>"These are symbolic objects, and symbols, unlike tools, can only be transmitted through language," Bouzouggar added.</p>.<p>"So this raises the question: does this discovery imply the existence of a language used to communicate between these groups or with members of other groups?"</p>.<p>Speaking at a press conference organised by the culture ministry, Bouzouggar said similar ornaments had been found across the Middle East and Africa, dating back between 35,000 and 135,000 years.</p>.<p>"These people searched for the same type of seashell despite the existence of many other types," he said.</p>.<p>"This shows that they shared something. Maybe there was even a language," he added.</p>.<p>"These objects travelled over huge distances."</p>.<p>He also noted that Morocco was the site of some of the oldest Homo sapiens remains discovered to date: five individuals who died some 315,000 years ago and were discovered in 2017.</p>.<p>Bouzouggar's team included researchers from Morocco's National Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (INSAP) as well as the University of Arizona in the US and France's LAMPEA research institute.</p>.<p>The discovery came after archaeologists in Morocco in September identified clothesmaking tools fashioned from bone dating back 120,000 years, the oldest ever found.</p>.<p><strong>Check out the latest DH videos:</strong></p>
<p id="thickbox_headline">Archaeologists in Morocco on Thursday unveiled what they said was the oldest jewellery in the world, perforated seashells dating back as much as 150,000 years.</p>.<p>The shells, assumed to have formed necklaces and bracelets, were discovered in the Bizmoune cave near the coastal resort of Essaouira.</p>.<p>They were dated as 142,000-150,000 years old, according to researcher Abdeljalil Bouzouggar.</p>.<p>"This discovery has enormous implications for the history of humanity," he said, adding that it suggested the owner was using language.</p>.<p>"These are symbolic objects, and symbols, unlike tools, can only be transmitted through language," Bouzouggar added.</p>.<p>"So this raises the question: does this discovery imply the existence of a language used to communicate between these groups or with members of other groups?"</p>.<p>Speaking at a press conference organised by the culture ministry, Bouzouggar said similar ornaments had been found across the Middle East and Africa, dating back between 35,000 and 135,000 years.</p>.<p>"These people searched for the same type of seashell despite the existence of many other types," he said.</p>.<p>"This shows that they shared something. Maybe there was even a language," he added.</p>.<p>"These objects travelled over huge distances."</p>.<p>He also noted that Morocco was the site of some of the oldest Homo sapiens remains discovered to date: five individuals who died some 315,000 years ago and were discovered in 2017.</p>.<p>Bouzouggar's team included researchers from Morocco's National Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (INSAP) as well as the University of Arizona in the US and France's LAMPEA research institute.</p>.<p>The discovery came after archaeologists in Morocco in September identified clothesmaking tools fashioned from bone dating back 120,000 years, the oldest ever found.</p>.<p><strong>Check out the latest DH videos:</strong></p>