Scientists Find Contents of Prehistoric Messenger Bag

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Australian scientists have released a picture that is the prehistoric antecedent to Flickr’s 8,000+ strong pool of "What’s in your bag?" images.

Unlike Karen_D’s bag (right), the 14,000 year old bag discovered in Jordan contained no cellphone, Listerine Fresh Strips, or pens. It did, according to lead researcher Phillp Edwards, contain:

a sickle for harvesting wild wheat or barley, a cluster of flint spearheads, a flint core for making more spearheads, some smooth stones (maybe slingshots), a large stone (maybe for striking flint pieces off the flint core), a cluster of gazelle toe bones which were used to make beads, and part of a second bone tool.

While there is no shortage of prehistoric tools in the archaeological record, as many museum-goers can attest, it’s rare to find a seemingly near-complete toolkit. Edwards believes that the tools would have been kept in what amounts to a hide or wicker messenger bag, slung over the shoulder with a strap.

The scientist, a senior lecturer in the Archaeology Program at Melbourne’s La Trobe University, also pointed out that the toolkit contained both tools for hunting (the spearheads) as well as for harvesting wild foods (the sickle).

Images: flickr/Karen_D, Discovery