Prehistoric Europeans used amber as a status symbol, an archaeologist who worked on the study told Newsweek.
Archaeologists believe sets of fake amber beads discovered at Spanish burial sites are the first known examples of faked jewelry in European prehistory.
The specimens looked like amber, and many archaeologists were tricked by the beads, study co-author Carlos P. Odriozola, professor at the University of Sevilla Department of Prehistory and Archaeology, explained to Newsweek. But tests revealed the Cova del Gegant beads were in fact a mollusk shell core coated with what is believed to be pine resin, and were found near real amber beads. Meanwhile the La Molina beads were in fact seeds coated in resin.
“The fact that a wealthy individual from La Molina cave was buried with an amber-like artifact opens a pathway to research on the trading network and the role of middleman and valuable supply systems in these communities from the third millennium B.C.,” Odriozola said. Odriozola suggested it could be that there wasn't enough amber to meet demand, or perhaps traders simply wanted to cheat the wealthy out of money.
"This find adds an interesting touch to it, and opens the door to a better understanding of how and why such items were traded and 'faked'—the association with North African ivory is crucial in this regard, and the North African involvement is perhaps the major insight that is coming out."
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