The period of primitiveness in the history of mankind is a very harsh time. It was a real test for people, survival and further development depended directly on their activity. Nevertheless, even in these conditions, people strove for diversity, albeit in a primitive form.
What role did jewelry play?
When trying to understand and comprehend the life and aspirations of primitive people, it must be borne in mind that the level of knowledge of that era was at a very low level, all the actions of people were connected, according to their ideas, with many good and evil spirits. The second could harm people. And to protect themselves from their cunning, people used various magical rites. Even the primitive jewelry and the exclusively utilitarian properties of protection against an unkind creature, the evil eye and other negative phenomena that abounded among people.
People did not immediately learn how to use metal for their needs, if periodization is carried out, then everything will become clear. The Stone Age is conventionally divided into three stages: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic. It is clear that the basis of all products was stone, the Eneolithic became a turning point, when people gradually mastered the skills of processing copper. And although it is softer than stone, nevertheless lends itself to forging and makes it possible to give it almost any shape. Therefore, the metal from which primitive people made jewelry is best suited for the manufacture of products. In addition, many traditions endowed copper with magical properties of scaring away all kinds of evil spirits.
Raw materials for jewelry
Decorations of primitive people do not pretend to exquisite aesthetics of forms and finishes, although highly artistic products are also found. Of course, the place of residence of ancient people was a priority , because it was it that determined the appearance of a person. According to the legends of many nations, one of the sacred metals is gold, from South America to Eastern Europe it is considered a frozen embodiment of sunlight that can disperse the darkness in which evil spirits hide. Therefore, the metal from which primitive people made jewelry was also gold nuggets, for lack of which copper was widely used. Many burial mounds in our country abound with such ornaments.
The inability to use alloys of various metals during the period of late primitiveness led to the use of native: copper, gold and silver. Accordingly, in different places there was more of one or another metal, which went to jewelry. In general, primitive residents tried to use it very sparingly, but this did not apply to tribal leaders, they even used metal jewelry in their burials, as a talisman in the other world.
A variety of primitive jewelry
Decorations of ancient people were different in form and quality of performance. However, in all parts of the Earth, hand and anklets can be found in burials; they also played a magical role and protected people from wounds to which these parts of the body are most affected. No matter what the metal from which primitive people made jewelry, it always had to bear traces of magical influence. It could be a variety of letters, images, geometric shapes. It is noteworthy that modern Amazonian tribes have interchangeable jewelry sets for different occasions, which differ both in form and in the images applied to them. It is on these tribes that ethnographers and other researchers test their guesses and assumptions, since among them the primordial attitude to nature and the world, characteristic of all people of the antiquity, has been preserved.
The metal from which primitive people made jewelry showed their social status. A wide variety of metal jewelry spoke of the high position of the person who wore them.