MALI: A rare discovery has been made, as a group of archaeologists has found hunter-gatherer artifacts in Jersey. The artifacts dating back towards the end of the Ice Age are the oldest known art in England having stone pieces carved with crisscrossed lines.
Though similar artifacts were found belonging to the same era in continental Europe, it is the first time that such a thing has been found in the British Isles. As per archaeologists, artifacts collection is at least 14,000 years old.
Archaeologists are in their initial phase of assessing the collection. Ice Age Island project co-director Dr. Chantal Conneller has said that radiocarbon dating will be required to know the exact age of the collection.
“They’re not a thing that is supposed to be admired, it’s the act of engraving that seems to be important”, affirmed Conneller. As per the researchers, the found artifacts are part of the Magdalenian art.
Conneller said that the Magdalenian people were hunter gatherers and are considered to one of the cultures that led to re-colonization of Europe between 16,000 and 13,000 years ago. The found artifact is common in Magdalenian camps in Germany and France.
Dr. Silvia Bello from the Natural History Museum in London has said that the discovery is in its initial stages. Before this discovery was made, the earliest known stone wall carvings was the one found at Creswell Crags in Derbyshire dating back 12,000 years ago. In 2003, these carvings were found. The lately found artifact collection is at the Jersey Museum and can be viewed.
