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World's oldest jewellery dating back to 82,000 years
found in Morocco
Washington:
Thirteen tiny shells, coated in red clay found in the
Grotte des Pigeons at Taforalt in eastern Morocco, are the
oldest known human ornamentation, an international team of
archaeologists have announced. The shells date back to 82,000
years ago. Each shell has a hole pierced through it and a
covering of red ochre, an ancient pigment made from clay.
According to Nick Barton from the University of Oxford in
England, and one of the archaeologists on the team, the "fact
that they are coloured and have deliberate perforations, indicate
that they were used as ornamentation". Barton said some of
the shell "beads" also showed signs of wear inside the perforation,
indicating that they were strung together as necklaces or
bracelets. "They were definitely meant to be seen," Barton
said. Interestingly, the shells come from a genus of marine
snail called Nassarius, which is not found along the Moroccan
shoreline today. The nearest place where the snails live is
an island off Tunisia that lies more than 800 miles (1,280
kilometres), according to National Geographic. "It is possible
that these beads were brought here from Tunisia and were very
special objects," Barton said. In a paper published in the
June issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(PNAS), archaeologists have suggested that beads marked a
shift in human development and the beginnings of modern cultural
behaviour. "We think that they were capable of thinking symbolically
and able to use one thing to represent another," Barton said,
adding that the possibility of beads being used to establish
group identity and indicate where certain people belonged,
cannot be ruled out. "Shells from other sites may turn out
to be even older, and we may well be looking at ornamentation
beyond a hundred thousand years ago," Barton however, added.
-June 8, 2007
Punjab, a rapidly growing market for international
beauty products
Chandigarh:
Punjab has truly found its place on the international
beauty map,where on the one hand, models and beauty queens
from the State- Priyanka Chopra, Mehar Bhasin and others -
have made their names in international beauty pageants, while
on the other, international beauty products have found an
upcoming market. International brands are vying to capture
the huge cosmetics market in Punjab through ramp shows, and
often events associated with beauty products industry. "Punjab
is one of the most buoyant markets in the country, when it
comes to beauty and lifestyle related products because people
are willing to spend money for enhancing their beauty further,
and they have the spending power too," said Vismay Sharma,
Director, International Beauty Products Chain. "Punjab is
a very important market for us. Since it is the fastest growing
market in terms of per capita consumption of cosmetics, the
largest in India," he adds. Even beauty saloons and beauty
treatment clinics in the State are branded, each selling their
range of products to targeted auudience. Saloons have become
super-specialized zones for beauty care - catering to separate
body parts such as hair or face, hands and feet, where a makeover
costs a kings ransom, but the appointments keep growing everyday.
"All I'd like to say is `Jo soni woh skiny', any beautiful
girl has got to be a skiny. Everyone knows that Sikh girls
are beautiful and charming -- their personality, their height,
built and everything else attracts attention wherever they
go. As it is - the genes, or blood or the Punjabi nature,
and our cultural values, there is definitely something about
Punjabi girls which stands them apart from the rest," said
Mehar Bhasin a famous model. International beauty chains have
opened attractive designer showrooms across the State displaying
their whole range of beauty treatment products, both national
as well as international. Herbal as well as natural cosmetics
manufactured from fruits vegetables etc. are in high demand
and are popularly known by their exotic names. "Today, in
such a trendy world, we would like to go for international
brands. We get quality and satisfaction. So, it is better
to use international brands", said Manpreet a college student.
Foreign tourists are too upbeat about the latest beauty trends
in Punjab. What's available in Europe is now available in
Punjab, says one.
-June 8, 2007
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