Hi Gene,
Just a little addendum here that I found extremely interesting. As I was browsing through on book on prehistoric to ancient shamanism, I was completely stunned by an illustration of a group of knives from the European Iron Age, around 1st c. B.C.
These were found in excavated tomb from St.Georges les Baillargeaux (Vienne), and the ring type pommels were open rings in remarkably the same shape as this suspension ring, and were believed for rituals by a shaman.
What is interesting here is to see how incredibly far back these stylized shapes and forms extended, and how influences from other regions in ancient times diffused into the Indian subcontinent. While not suggesting any direct contact of course, it is like most actual trade diffusion, the result of tribal or group interaction in the farthest regions of certain cultural or tribal spheres with others moving in the directions extending far beyond to other frontiers.
I believe in anthropology this type of diffusion and influence may be considered folk memory in degree.
Just thought it might be interesting,
All the best,
Jim
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