NAHA -- Japan's oldest-known color accessory has been unearthed from a stratum in cave ruins dating back to the Paleolithic period about 23,000 years ago in southernmost Okinawa Prefecture, a local museum announced on Oct. 21.
According to the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum, the bead, made of a type of tusk shell and measuring about 13 millimeters long and 8 mm wide, was found coated in red pigment. Pigmented earthenware and decorative items have been found in Japan at Jomon period sites dating back at least about 15,000 years, but this is the first time one from the Paleolithic period has been found. The discovery will provide valuable clues to Paleolithic people's culture.
For the full article, see: Japan's oldest-known color accessory found in Paleolithic Okinawa cave ruins - The Mainichi