A team of archaeologists has unearthed a remarkable artifact in central Brazil: a giant bone ornament carved from the femur of a now-extinct sloth, dating back roughly 25,000 years and possibly extending to about 27,000 years ago. The researchers report these findings in a peer-reviewed publication from the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, underscoring the sophistication of early hunter gatherer communities in South America and their capacity for symbolic expression. The ornament’s age places it among the oldest known examples of ornamental modification in the region, suggesting that humans were shaping material culture long before many earlier estimates, and it invites a reevaluation of the timing and routes of early human dispersal into the continent.
Dating analyses conducted on the sloth bone ornamentation indicate a chronology spanning roughly 25,000 to 27,000 years ago. This timeframe implies that human populations may have arrived in South America much earlier than traditionally assumed, potentially arriving after migrations out of Africa and through Eurasia. The results add to a growing body of evidence that peopling of the Americas occurred in a mosaic pattern, with groups moving along coastlines and interior pathways at a pace that challenges earlier migration models. The discovery also contributes to a broader narrative about how early communities adapted to diverse landscapes, from forested corridors to open grasslands, and how they used bone and other natural materials to craft tools, adornments, and ritual objects that signaled social identity and group affiliation.
The context of the find becomes even more intriguing when considering the life scale of the giant sloth to which the ornament belonged. Glossotherium phoenesis, a species once common in the region, reached lengths of around four meters and weighed as much as 1,500 kilograms. At roughly the size of a modern elephant, these animals would have presented both a resource and a formidable presence in the landscapes navigated by early people. The association of human-made artifacts with such large megafauna offers a window into the interactions between humans and their environment during late Pleistocene times, including hunting practices, scavenging opportunities, and the symbolic meanings that bone and ivory carried within communities. The researchers emphasize that the ornament’s craftsmanship reflects a deliberate and skillful approach to material culture, likely involving careful selection of bone, detailed carving, and thoughtful shaping that would have required planning, patience, and a shared knowledge of tools and techniques across group members.
Among the broader implications of the study is a clearer picture of genetic connections across time. Scientists formerly based at the University of Vienna contributed to the discovery of some of the oldest genetic data associated with a human relative from this region of the world. These genetic insights complement the archaeological record by offering clues about longstanding relationships among early populations, migration routes, and population dynamics that shaped how communities formed, migrated, and exchanged ideas over thousands of years. Taken together, archaeological and genetic evidence paints a more nuanced portrait of human prehistory in Central and South America, highlighting collaborative efforts across disciplines to understand how ancient people expressed identity, maintained memory, and connected with each other through material culture and shared knowledge.