© CNRS
Polished skills: The obsidian bracelet contains remarkable detail
Polished skills: The obsidian bracelet contains remarkable detail
Researchers from the Institut Français d'Etudes Anatoliennes in Istanbul and Laboratoire de Tribologie et de Dynamiques des Systèmes studied the bracelet's surface and its micro-topographic features revealing the astounding technical expertise of the maker.
The bracelet is obsidian - which means it's made from volcanic glass - and the researchers analysis of it sheds new light on Neolithic societies, which remain highly mysterious.
Discovered in 1995 at the site of Asıklı Höyük in Turkey, it was analysed by software designed to characterise the 'orange peel effect' on car bodywork.
This process revealed that the bracelet - 10cm in diameter - was made and polished using highly specialised manufacturing techniques.
In fact, the surface was polished to a degree equal to that of today's telescope lenses.
© Verity Cridland
Asikli Hoyuk: The Neolithic site where the bracelet was found
Asikli Hoyuk: The Neolithic site where the bracelet was found
The obsidian craft reached its peak in the seventh and sixth millennia BC with the production of all kinds of ornamental objects, including mirrors and vessels.
Neolithic people - or those leaving in what's sometimes termed as the New Stone Age - were essentially skilled farmers, who could also turn their hand to the manufacture of various ornaments.
The result of the study is published in the December 2011 issue of Journal of Archaeological Science.
Here is the original press release, which shows a photo of the actual object.
[Link]
The computer model shown above is a re-creation based on the analysis of a fragment.
What this is really saying is that this artifact was made by a machine system, not by human hands.
We have all seen photos of obsidian arrowheads (I even own one). This piece is NOTHING like that. I can't even begin to imagine how to make such a delicate item from a material that is basically glass. One possibility is that high temperatures were employed.
In any case, such technologies were not supposed to exist so long ago. This gives rise to the possibility of advanced technologies being introduced from off-world.