Shell Tools and Use-Wear Analysis: a Reference Collection for Prehistoric Arabia (original) (raw)
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Archaeological Research in Asia, 2024
The production and use of shell tools has been reported from the Neolithic (c. 6500-3300 BCE) to the Late Bronze Age (c. 1600-1300 BCE)-or the Early Iron Age c. 1300-1000 BCE)-along the eastern shores of the Arabian Peninsula. The latter are described as large bivalve shells whose ventral margin has been retouched. However, to date, no functional analysis has been performed to understand the use of these unusual tools, despite the recognised importance of marine resources in the cultural development of Protohistoric societies in this region. This paper, therefore, aims to present the findings of a large number of worked shell valves collected from excavations at Neolithic sites in the Umm al-Quwain area in the Northern United Arab Emirates, over the past 20 years. It introduces the first functional study of shell tools in the Arabian Peninsula and contributes to the knowledge of techno-cultural processes among the Neolithic coastal communities of this area. Comparisons with experimental specimens have allowed us to highlight the use of shell tools for various activities, including butchering and woodworking tasks, and the processing of animal skins in-line with the production and use of ochre. Most of the specimens studied evidenced use-wear resulting from the processing of vegetal fibres, suggesting basketry or rope production. Although further work is required on material retrieved from other sites in the region, the results from the Umm al-Quwain area already constitute a huge step forward in reconstructing past productive activities during the Neolithic, opening a new area of research for the Archaeology of Eastern Arabia.
The rolemarine resources played in the subsistence strategies of groups, especially during the Palaeolithic, has been widely discussed in historiography. Much of this debate has been based on the information obtained from the consumption of marine resources as food and, to a lesser extent, their use as objects of adornment. This article presents a new approach to this debate, covering a long period from the Early Upper Palaeolithic to the late Neolithic, across a section of the Atlantic fac¸ade of Western Europe. The novelty of the present research is the application of a technological perspective to study these resources, which have been examined using a use-wear analysis methodology. This research documents the use of shell tools in archaeological sites of all time periods analyzed. These uses would be related to the processing of a variety of materials such as wood, non-woody plant, clay, ochre, and skin during the development of some of the production activities of these groups. This has enabled the addition of new information and an innovative approach to this topic.
The paper presents the preliminary archaeological study of around 200 artefacts related to the production of shell fish-hooks made from Pinctada sp. discovered at the Neolithic coastal site of Ras al-Hadd HD-5 in 2014. The site occupation dates to the fourth millennium BC and finished shell hooks and manufacturing debris were recovered from stratigraphic contexts that included primary floors and workshop dumps. The artefacts include complete shells that were probably collected from the nearby lagoon, hammer stones and rasps made of sandstone, and all stages of the shell-hook manufacturing processes. After comprehensive documentation and study of the artefacts, experimental replications were carried out to gain a better understanding of the stages of production and factors that contributed to breakage and discard. Future studies will include the use of experimental hooks to determine their strength and durability. Excavations were conducted by a team from the University of Bologna under the auspices of the Department of Excavations and Archaeological Studies, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Sultanate of Oman. This paper presents the preliminary results of the archaeological study of shell fish-hooks and manufacturing debris from the fourth-millennium BC site of Ras al-Hadd HD-5 (RaΜs al-Дadd), Sultanate of Oman. 1 During the 2014 field season, a team from the University of Bologna working under the auspices of the Department of Excavations and Archaeological Studies, Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Sultanate of Oman, discovered about 200 artefacts related to the production of shell fish-hooks made from the mother-of-pearl bivalve shell Pinctada sp. These artefacts document all the different manufacturing stages of the production from chipped, ground, and drilled shell-hook blanks to finished and discarded hooks. In addition, hundreds of fragments of unworked P. margaritifera shell have also been recovered, suggesting that this was the primary species used in the manufacture of the shell hooks. This collection is from well-stratified archaeological deposits that include primary floors in association with domestic activity areas, as well as workshop dumps. The association of shell-hook debris with domestic contexts indicates that the process of shell-hook making was carried out in the context of other domestic activities. The wide range of 1 Place name according to the guidelines provided by the National Survey Authority of the Sultanate of Oman. manufacturing debris provides a unique opportunity for investigating the various stages of production and the use and changes of this technology over time. Based on a preliminary documentation of the shell and the associated stone artefacts, an initial replicative study was carried out using fresh and sub-fossil Pinctada sp. shells obtained from local fishermen, and stone tools made from chert and sandstone that would have been locally available to the ancient fishing community. The results of the experimental study provide insight into the types of tools that might have been used and the time involved in shell-hook production, as well as the association of this production with other domestic and subsistence activities.
journal of Archaeological Studies University of Tehran, 2024
Sea shells are natural-biological objects. They are embedded in geological layers in the form of fossils, but also, to find in archaeological deposits as a result of human activities. Archaeologists can use the provenance of shells in the functional analysis of ancient sites in terms of social archeology and prehistoric trading activities. Archeological excavations in several sites of the Iranian Plateau have shown that from the 3rd third millennium B.C. onwards, finds of sea shells (e.g. Lambis, Dentalium, etc.) rapidly increased. Such shells were for instance discovered from ritual cemetery contexts such as Shahdad, Tepe Hesar, Kale Nisar cemeteries or Bani Surma. These objects are mainly used as natural or polished shells. In some cases, they served as a raw material for making all kinds of beads, buttons, and other ornamental objects.. The main question is to understand the relationship between the use of seashells and archaeological context, and also, their role in Bronze Age ritual life. In this article, the descriptive, analytical method has been used in the biological recognition of all types of shells. This method is also used based on similar studies on this issue in Mesopotamia's archeology of the Sumerian-Akkadian period. The distribution of recognizable species shows that these objects are concentrated in the settlements from south to southeast of Iran in the coastal strip of the Persian Gulf, and from the Oman Sea to the Zagros intermountain valleys, as well as in the northwest and northeast of Iran. The biological origin can be placed in the northern shores of the Oman Sea to the Gulf of Kutch on the northern coast of the Indian Ocean. It seems that with the growth and development of urbanization in Southwest Asia and especially the development of sea trade, oysters have been traded as valuable goods and other prestige goods. The importance of the shell findings is more than the value of the shells themselves because they were used as sacred goods in religious affairs. Analysis of the fields where the shells were discovered is more related to cemeteries and temples as sacred spaces. Also, the significant presence of Lambis shells for the production of specific ritual bowls, placed together with bronze axes in graves, can be seen as the reflection of a patriarchic tradition in the social-political organization of the third and second millennia B.C. Despite many excavations and the discovery of many samples of these types of shells, no further going investigation on these specific objects was undertaken so far. This desideratum reveals more valuable findings in the archeology of the Iranian plateau. Therefore, one of this article's final goals is to focus more on analyzing the context of the discovery of seashells in futur
Worked and decorated shell discs from southern Arabia and the wider Near East
Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 2019
Recent excavations at the sites of Dibba, Saruq al-Hadid and Sumhuram/Khor Rori have, together, produced a very substantial assemblage of worked shell discs dating to two broad but non-contiguous periods-the early first millennium BCE and the late centuries BCE and early centuries CE. In this article, we present and review the corpus of worked shell discs from these southern Arabian sites and contextualise them through comparison with worked shell discs from controlled excavations in Arabia and neighbouring regions of the ancient Near East, as well as unprovenanced antiquities in international museum collections. This research highlights the long-distance cultural connections and significance of this category of shell artefacts, aspects of their production, exchange and circulation, and their multi-valent ancient uses and modern interpretations. The three key sites present diverse aspects of the archaeological record of late prehistoric and early historic Arabia (Fig. 1). Dibba, located in the Omani area of the port of Dibba on the Gulf of Oman, is a burial complex comprising two large subterranean collective tombs designated LCG-1 and LCG-2 that were in use from the end of the Late Bronze Age to the early Iron Age (ca. 1500-700 BCE). Excavations there by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture of the Sultanate of Oman have recovered the primary and secondary burials of hundreds of individuals of both sexes and different age groups, together with thousands of grave offerings from the tombs and pits dug nearby, including cuts of animal meat, ceramics and softstone vessels, beads of semi-precious stones, and particularly
Exploitation of Marine Shells at Roman Jerash (Jordan)
Studies in Ancient Art and Civilization, 2023
The Jerash archaeological site holds great significance as one of the most prominent Roman sites in the Middle East. In our research paper, we present an assortment of marine shells discovered in the northern region of the Jerash archaeological site during the University of Jordan's excavations from 2017 to 2019. We analyze the shells to determine their species. Additionally, we document the human modifications of the shells in order to reconstruct their possible use. The number of shells is small, but their value is heightened by the variety of species represented and the human modifications observed. The most frequently found shell are 12 murex (11 are Bolinus brandaris). Some shells exhibit perforations, which could be attributed to various purposes such as adornments, the production of cosmetics, or souvenirs.
Personal ornaments – and beads in particular – are the first artifacts produced outside the strictly utilitarian sphere in the history of mankind, with the earliest examples manufactured by Homo neanderthalensis more than 100.000 years ago. Their detailed study might provide important information for the reconstruction of the socioeconomic organization of ancient populations and contribute to a more precise definition of specific cultural trajectories. In Southeastern Arabia, the archaeological definition of cultural variation during the Neolithic period (ca. 8000-3200 BCE) is based mainly on the reconstruction of subsistence strategies and lithic technologies. The research presented in this paper introduced bead production as a secondary indicator of cultural variability among the Neolithic communities of Southeastern Arabia, relying on the comprehensive study of consistent collections (more than 1000 artifacts) of stone and seashell beads from ten coastal sites, including graveyards and seasonal settlements. This preliminary analysis is based on a detailed documentation strategy that included the systematic acquisition of a number of stylistic and morphometric data and the selective production of impressions of the perforations using inert silicone resins. The number, type and accuracy of the information collected allowed to define typological variations over the periods and across the different regions and to relate them with specific technical and technological advancements in bead production. This comprehensive approach allowed also a reassessment of comparable evidence from previous publications, considering both the functional and symbolic meaning of these important artifacts as an expression of collective and personal identity and their socioeconomic value.
A.R. Al-Ansary, K.I. Al-Muaikel, A.M. Alsharek (eds) Man and Environment in the Abrab World in Light of Archaeological Discoveries. Proceedings of the Symposium held in RJumada on 4th-6th May2010): 73-84. Al-Sudayri Foundation, Riyadh, 2013
During the excavations carried out by the Italian Archaeological Mission at the shellmidden site RH-5, Muscat, 374 beads of different shapes and sizes, obtained from both stone and marine shell, were recovered. This paper discusses their chronology, typology, raw material, manufacturing technique and circulation along the southern coast of the Arabian sea during the fifth millennium BP. The authors point out the probable exogenous production of the RH-5 beads, given also the scarce number of these items from the large cemetery excavated at the same site. The existence of production centres, and the specialised role played by some of the coastal (shellmidden) sites of this period are also emphasised.