On The Origins And Evolution of Beads and Coves - A Hypothesis

On The Origins And Evolution of Beads and Coves

Humanoids are issued just two hands, with or without opposing thumbs.

Humanoids are tool users.

Some humanoids not only use tools, but also make tools, out of necessity. But good sharp pointy sticks may not have been conveniently distributed throughout their range. That necessitates that they take the tools they found, or made, with them as they wander about in search of things to pole with sharp pointy sticks.

*see A Brief History of The Pointy Stick - Development & Variations
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But there's that "only have two hands" thing. Now it is possible to juggle three or more objects, though walking while doing so becomes a bit trickier. And walking while keeping control of three or more moving objects can be hazardous - what with lurking saber tooth tigers, sharp rocks, low branches and the occasional......... C...L. I

F

F

. ! . ......_\_/ _........

There was a need for consolidation and control - some means of keeping stuff together so they could all be carried.

Nature abhors a vacuum.

Thus - ?Let there be string!? - and later - rope.

Actually, it was probably a female humanoid, who, while preparing some mammoth meat decided to remove a piece of tendon or ligament from an otherwise nice chunk of meat and said to herself as she examined the tendon / ligament - ?You know, if you tied this thing to a tool ...?

And that may be the origin of ?sinew? - a VERY handy invention. (I?ve looked in anatomy books, searching for ?sinew?. I?ve found ligament, tendon, bursa, peretenium, plura - but no ?sinew?. I guess ?language? was also relatively new so humanoids could just make up words as they went along encountering or inventing new things. Markteting Departments and Advertising Agencies would take over that ?Make Up Words? function a bit later.)

And it was good (not the Marketing Department or Ad Agencies - ?sinew? was good.).

For some reason, ?sinew? got replaced by the word ?string?. I think that was because ?sinew? sounded kind of weird - SIN - Ewwwww. ?Ewwwwww? was already a word which meant ?icky?, ?gross?, ?yucky? and SIN meant BAD!, Naughty, ?a Ticket to HELL! (You see, Spokespersons For GOD(s) came along well before technology and had staked out the DO & DON?T territory and had already invented ?SIN?. If you want to gain, and maintain POWER - threaten people with violence. But if you REALLY want POWER - threaten them - FOR ETERNITY.).

ANYWAY - shortly after the advent of sinew - the ?knot? was invented, and the ?belt? soon followed (it was probably Necessity that mothered the invention of the knot

- and the belt).

At some point, the idea of tieing something to the tools that couldn't be held in just two hands came up. Tie a "string" around the tool and tie the other end onto the "belt". The "two hands / more than two tools problem" was almost solved

- almost. You see, some tools are basically cylindrical and the string kept sliding off of one end. And some tools have sharp edges somewhere that could cut the string.

There was a need for coming up with something that would keep the "string" on the tool "handle".

Now the ability to make holes in things was thousands of year away. OK, so the ability to make holes in other animals was around - but holes in wood would take a while.

Grooves they could make. So scratch a groove around the "handle" of the tool, fit the "string" in it and it'll stay there. There's still the matter of putting the tools away - we're still working on that one to this day. We?ll leave that one for some future discussion.

Now grooves also came in handy for improving the grip on a tool. You don't want a slippery handle on a mammoth hide scraper or a bloody meat cutting tool. Oh - and sharp ends on handles of most tools can make holes in the tool user's hand while he/she is making holes in something else. BUT - if one were to rub those sharp ends and edges against a stone they go away and you get basically a hemisphere. NIce shape for the end of a hand tool. Fits in the palm nicely without puncturing skin. That is a good thing.

As is usually the case, at some point, technology and the artist intersect - and aesthetics soon become a factor because, just as day follows night, sunshine follows rain, laughter follows pain ... (Sorry, got off into some Dire Straits lyrics)

- art critics follow artists. It?s just the nature of things.

If You Build It - They Will Come - and Critique IT

- while complaining that the canapes were a bit dry, the wine selection was all wrong. And the ambiance! My word! I thought I?d just die when I saw what some of the invited guests were wearing! I mean, really - who in god?s name put together the invitations list! OH - and someone should tell Bitsy that necklace was just TOO ostentatious - for that specific occassion. It?d be absolutely PERFECT

- at one of The Donald?s soirees - but a gallery opening? She really needs to fire her fashion consultant before she TOTALLY destroys her reputation. My GAWD - what was she thinking!

Sorry - back to utilitarian grooves.

Grooves become coves and beads. They still maintain their function - but now they're more pleasing to the eye and may be even nicer to hold and make the hand tool easier to use.

Eventually, the original needs are met by some other innovation / invention - the tool belt for example, belt clips etc. But coves, beads, balls and so on persists, got refined and became purely aesthetic - when done well and combined well. The latter may explain the origin of The Ogee

- or not.

Just a hypothesis. There may be better explanations for why people take perfectly good sticks and turn shapes in them.

charlie b

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charlieb
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Hi Charlie, I think I understand your theory re the ups & downs and ins & outs of beads & coves and I suppose humanoids learned to ride the bevel of a pointy stick to avoid repeating the big bang along the way, but how & when did they add a flute to the pointy stick ...and was it a 'V' or a 'U'? I imagine the rich humanoids who inherited big caves had powdered wood sticks. :)

I sure can relate to your hilarious gallery opening diversion. My daughter once owned a small art gallery at the corner of Broome & Broadway (for NuYawkers). She rarely sold anything, but the per capita consumption of free cheese and wine was outstanding as well as bankrupting. For a while Dad felt like he was the drive up window at the bank. Like the very rich, the very true artists aren't like you and me, they never pick up the check. As for opening the purse, forget it. They are critical of quality in free wine, but they don't critique the 'Thunderbird' they drink at home. :)

Thanks for the hypothesis Charlie. I think I remember that Darwin found several animals on the Galapagos with pointed holes in their sides, but did you find any pointy sticks there and if so, were sinews tied around their coves?

Nature usually abhors a vacuum, but it ain't necessarily so here on rcw; witness this post. :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

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