Octopus lures from the Mariana Islands are oldest in the world, archaeological study finds

Cowrie-shell artefacts that were found throughout the Mariana Islands were lures used for hunting octopuses, an archaeological study has determined. The study also found that the devices are the oldest known artefacts of their kind in the world. These devices are similar versions of which have been found on islands across the Pacific.

The study, titled "Let's catch octopus for dinner: Ancient inventions of octopus lures in the Mariana Islands of the remote tropical Pacific," is published in World Archaeology. It is a peer-reviewed academic journal.

Michael T Carson, an archaeologist with the Micronesian Area Research Center at the University of Guam, said, "That's back to the time when people were first living in the Mariana Islands. So we think these could be the oldest octopus lures in the entire Pacific region and, in fact, the oldest in the world."

Carson is the lead author of the study, which is assisted by Hsiao-chun Hung from The Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. Carson holds a doctorate in anthropology.

A report published by PHYS ORG stated that the study has used carbon dating of archaeological layers to confirm that lures found on the Northern Mariana Islands of Tinian and Saipan were from about 1500 B.C., or 3,500 years ago.

The study has mentioned that the fishing devices were made with cowrie shells, which is a type of sea snail and the favourite food of octopuses. The researchers said that the devices were connected by a fibre cord to a stone sinker and a hook.

The researchers have mentioned that similar has been found in seven sites in the Mariana Islands. It is said that the oldest lures were excavated in 2011 from Sanhalom near the House of Taga in Tinian and in 2016 from Unai Bapot in Saipan.

And other locations include Achugao in Saipan, Unai Chulu in Tinian, and Mochom at Mangilao Golf Course, Tarague Beach, and Ritidian Beach Cave in Guam.

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