特拉维夫大学《Evolutionary Anthropology》论文提出假说：早期人类50万年前已收藏纪念物
特拉维夫大学发布的一项研究提出，人类收藏纪念物品、留存情感记忆的行为可能早在50万年前就已出现。论文刊登于《进化人类学》（Evolutionary Anthropology），作者检视了中东地区两处考古遗址出土的石质与贝壳物品，并据此提出假说：包括直立人在内的早期人类，会特意收集、保存和再加工具有纪念意义的物件，反映他们已具备象征性思维与情感记忆能力。
作者选取的案例中，有出土于以色列 Qesem Cave 的成形石球（shaped stone balls），年代约为40万至20万年前。这些石球在旧石器时代晚期被反复打磨利用，可能被留作一种纪念物；另有一处约旦河谷的遗址，贝壳被反复串起做成项链佩戴。论文还将这一假说与 Qesem Cave 的另一项早期发现相连：该洞穴出土过约40万年前一只天鹅的翅膀骨骼，推测早期人类曾拔下羽毛用作装饰。研究者认为，收藏与展示纪念物，是社会关系与文化认同的载体，对理解人类自我意识的起源具有重要意义。
Tel Aviv University Study in Evolutionary Anthropology Proposes Early Humans Collected Keepsakes 500,000 Years Ago
A new study from Tel Aviv University proposes that collecting keepsakes and holding onto memories — habits often seen as modern — may go back as far as 500,000 years. The paper, published in Evolutionary Anthropology, examines stone and shell items from two archaeological sites in the Middle East, concluding that early humans, including Homo erectus, deliberately gathered, kept and reworked objects that carried sentimental value, reflecting symbolic thinking and emotional memory.
Among the cases examined are shaped stone balls found at Qesem Cave in Israel, dated to 400,000 to 200,000 years ago. These balls were repeatedly refined and reused through the late Paleolithic, perhaps held on to as keepsakes. At another site in the Jordan Valley, shells were strung repeatedly into necklaces. The paper also links this hypothesis to an earlier discovery at Qesem Cave: the wing bone of a swan dating to about 400,000 years ago, whose feathers may have been taken for decoration. Researchers say collecting and displaying keepsakes acted as a vehicle for social relations and cultural identity, making it a significant clue in understanding the origins of human self-awareness.
图中是以色列 Qesem Cave 出土的成形石球，该洞穴是本研究列举的早期人类收藏与再加工物件遗址之一。
来源：特拉维夫大学
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图为以色列 Qesem Cave 出土的成形石球。Assaf et al., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
GSM Global · 本篇英文版 English edition of this story
