The Mobiles
Mobiles, you say? What have
mobiles to do with early man, you say? Mobile what, you say?
It is always the same when the
story of mobiles is first introduced to conversations on the life of early man. You expect to
hear of the many forms of hunting points. The intricate qualities of weaving, the quality of
pottery. But mobiles, why mobiles?
Over the years of working with the materials recovered
at the Zueberbueler shelter, there were to be many items that at first
glance
caused the curator to pause
before classification.
Archaeologists over the decades have typed and named new and wondrous
crafts and unique artifacts for man of the many ages from the past. But the Zueberbueler
site was a time in the pre history of man that offered a new and wondrous insight to first
man human.
There has never been offered to the observer before or since the vista of man
as he lived and developed 2,000 to 10,000 years BP. It became clear that this was not a man we were
unfamiliar with. This was man as we are, and as we live today.
True, his home was in a cave,
not New York or L.A.. His days were not lit by electricity, nor heated by the same. But his
need did not differ, from those we face in our current era.
It was this realization, that
faced the curator day after day. It was this daily recovery of artifacts, that served man of
the archaic period, that required the hind sight, of how many of the items could serve man today.
This list of items, that would be as compatible in our time, as they were in his, is long and
surprising. Not the least of these is the mobiles.
Had the Pecos Museum only recovered one
or two, their story may not have been so clear. Rare as they may have been at other sites, the
Zueberbueler site yielded twenty one of them. How did the identification as Mobiles come about?
As mentioned in the past, the Zueberbueler shelter was unique, it was the dream site of
discovery. Large and dry. Remote and hard to access. A treasure house of thousands of artifacts.
Where other sites may have yielded a single sample of a craft or only a fragment, this
site contained dozens if not hundreds.
It was now possible to understand the artifacts,
that were part of every day life, compared to those that were in fact unique. It was
now possible to attach items, that were related, to others of everyday need.
Scores of
hand polished pointed sticks, were noted to be needed and used, in the making of grass sandals.
Polished split bone tools that resembled pointed awls, but had rounded distal ends were used
in the making of nets, they were the gage.
Odd bits of plant leaves, bones and stones,
lashed to a blade of grass were the mobiles. But how did the author come to such a decision?
The same way he decided the open weavings that resembled mats were in fact sun shades. Their
need.
The one major industry at the site was children. The artifacts, burials and most all
the crafts suggested the young were the day to day interest at the site.
Realizing this fact, the recovery of new and previously unknown items were studied in this
light. Here we are interested in the random bits of plant parts, bits of stone and bone that
had a common use. Or at least they seem to have.
One feature that was undeniable, was that
they were all the works of man. There was not doubt that they had been assembled by man. Next
is the obvious fact that they were made in a common fashion. Third that they were all made
from bits of scrap.
Scrap that had been uniformly bound with a blade of grass or on one
occasion a length of cord. Their not serving in a craft or as food, it suggested a use as toys.
The suggestion of toy and the knowledge that man of the shelter placed his children in a light
of need, and set us on the road to a solution.
A common feature at the sight was beds or
cribs. One of these beds was recovered with it's little occupant still it it's fetal position.
After several millennium of sleep this child had survived in remarkable condition.
The state of preservation rivals any human recovery in the world from that age.
It was
proof positive that the small beds were that of infants. Along with beds, fur blankets
there was a form of weaving that suggested the young were protected from the desert sun.
Large and fragile sun shades, not unlike those available today in the stores were made.
These weavings today are to allow cooling air to pass while protecting the sheltered area from
the dangers of the sun. So now we know that parents of archaic babies made them beds, padded
them with pads from the Prickly Pear cactus, pins removed. Made for them soft fur blankets and
protected them from the glare of the sun.
What was missing from such a setting, one not so
unlike what we offer today. The mobiles. We will never know if early man knew of the benefits
offered to the child by a mobile, the straightening of the eye muscles. We will never know
most of the story of man of the shelters, but we now have a least one more insight into his
life.
Mobiles, you say? What have mobiles to do with early man, you say? Mobile what, you say? It is always the same when the story of mobiles is first introduced to conversations on the life of early man. You expect to hear of the many forms of hunting points. The intricate qualities of weaving, the quality of pottery. But mobiles, why mobiles? Over the years of working with the materials recovered at the Zueberbueler shelter, there were to be many items that at first glance caused the curator to pause before classification. Archaeologists over the decades have typed and named new and wondrous crafts and unique artifacts for man of the many ages from the past. But the Zueberbueler site was a time in the pre history of man that offered a new and wondrous insight to first man human. There has never been offered to the observer before or since the vista of man as he lived and developed 2,000 to 10,000 years BP. It became clear that this was not a man we were unfamiliar with. This was man as we are, and as we live today. True, his home was in a cave, not New York or L.A.. His days were not lit by electricity, nor heated by the same. But his need did not differ, from those we face in our current era. It was this realization, that faced the curator day after day. It was this daily recovery of artifacts, that served man of the archaic period, that required the hind sight, of how many of the items could serve man today. This list of items, that would be as compatible in our time, as they were in his, is long and surprising. Not the least of these is the mobiles. Had the Pecos Museum only recovered one or two, their story may not have been so clear. Rare as they may have been at other sites, the Zueberbueler site yielded twenty one of them. How did the identification as Mobiles come about? As mentioned in the past, the Zueberbueler shelter was unique, it was the dream site of discovery. Large and dry. Remote and hard to access. A treasure house of thousands of artifacts. Where other sites may have yielded a single sample of a craft or only a fragment, this site contained dozens if not hundreds. It was now possible to understand the artifacts, that were part of every day life, compared to those that were in fact unique. It was now possible to attach items, that were related, to others of everyday need. Scores of hand polished pointed sticks, were noted to be needed and used, in the making of grass sandals. Polished split bone tools that resembled pointed awls, but had rounded distal ends were used in the making of nets, they were the gage. Odd bits of plant leaves, bones and stones, lashed to a blade of grass were the mobiles. But how did the author come to such a decision? The same way he decided the open weavings that resembled mats were in fact sun shades. Their need. The one major industry at the site was children. The artifacts, burials and most all the crafts suggested the young were the day to day interest at the site. Realizing this fact, the recovery of new and previously unknown items were studied in this light. Here we are interested in the random bits of plant parts, bits of stone and bone that had a common use. Or at least they seem to have. One feature that was undeniable, was that they were all the works of man. There was not doubt that they had been assembled by man. Next is the obvious fact that they were made in a common fashion. Third that they were all made from bits of scrap. Scrap that had been uniformly bound with a blade of grass or on one occasion a length of cord. Their not serving in a craft or as food, it suggested a use as toys. The suggestion of toy and the knowledge that man of the shelter placed his children in a light of need, and set us on the road to a solution. A common feature at the sight was beds or cribs. One of these beds was recovered with it's little occupant still it it's fetal position. After several millennium of sleep this child had survived in remarkable condition. The state of preservation rivals any human recovery in the world from that age. It was proof positive that the small beds were that of infants. Along with beds, fur blankets there was a form of weaving that suggested the young were protected from the desert sun. Large and fragile sun shades, not unlike those available today in the stores were made. These weavings today are to allow cooling air to pass while protecting the sheltered area from the dangers of the sun. So now we know that parents of archaic babies made them beds, padded them with pads from the Prickly Pear cactus, pins removed. Made for them soft fur blankets and protected them from the glare of the sun. What was missing from such a setting, one not so unlike what we offer today. The mobiles. We will never know if early man knew of the benefits offered to the child by a mobile, the straightening of the eye muscles. We will never know most of the story of man of the shelters, but we now have a least one more insight into his life.
|