A second look at the shell beads from the excavations at Tel Michal south of Herzliyya, Israel (original) (raw)
Related papers
Neolithic Shell Bead Production in Sinai
Journal of Archaeological Science, 1997
Five marine shell assemblages, consisting of over 5000 shells and shell fragments from Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (9200–7800BP) sites in the Sinai peninsula have been studied. The aims of this study were (1) to compare assemblages among the sites and, within the two larger and stratified sites (Ujrat el Mehed and Wadi Tbeik), among levels; and (2) to try to determine the place of marine shells within the socio-economic structure of the PPNB period in southern Sinai. Red Sea shell beads processed in southern Sinai may have been exchanged for cereals from PPNB agricultural communities within the Mediterranean zone.
The Exploitation of Shells as Beads in the Palaeolithic and Neolithic of the Levant
2005
Shells are first purposefully collected in the Middle Palaeolithic, but their first systematic exploitation to serve as beads is in the Upper Palaeolithic. Small gastropods, especially Columbella rustica and Nassarius gibbosulus are usually chosen, some of them naturally abraded ready-to-use beads. This tradition continues throughout the Epi-Palaeolithic. The Natufian culture marks a change expressed in both larger quantities and diversity of species, and an increased preference for Dentalium. The economic changes from hunter-gatherers to farmers that characterize the Neolithic period are also expressed in new strategies of shell exploitation. Those include larger numbers of species that are collected, their use for making artifacts and not only simple shell beads, and their apparent use in exchange systems whose purpose is to provide food. In addition, more diverse methods are used for working the shells, resulting in such "prestige" items as Mother-of-Pearl pendants. Dozens of shell species are made into beads during this period, especially in the desert areas where Red Sea species are collected. The Mediterranean zone is distinguished by smaller assemblages dominated by Glycymeris and Cerastoderma.
Middle Paleolithic shell beads in Israel and Algeria
Science, 2006
Five sediment samples were analysed for mineralogy and chemical composition. Sample L15134 is a fragment of dark breccia from Skhul upper layer A, L15135 a light brown breccia from underlying layer B1, L15136 a grey breccia from lower layer B2, L15137 a breccia adherent to a Levantina spiriplana caesareana land snail labelled as coming from the "Mousterian breccia" (layer B) and L15138 corresponds to the sediment matrix adherent to one of the two perforated N. gibbosulus ). Samples were analysed by three methods i) morphology and composition examined using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) coupled with an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) detector (Jeol 5900LVProbe), ii) mineralogy determined by X-Ray Diffraction and iii) bulk chemistry determined by Inductively-Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES) and Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). For chemical analysis the sediment were crushed to a fine powder in an agate swing mill grinder, after first being broken into small pieces with a fly-press. A small piece of sediment from the pierced shell was split off and crushed in an agate pestle mortar. Two dissolution methods were used to produce the sample solutions i) hydrofluoric acid dissolution (HF) and ii) lithium metaborate fusion. Where sample size permitted, repeats were prepared for each of the samples, to give an estimate of sample heterogeneity. For the former dissolution method 100mg of sample was weighed into a platinum crucible and digested on a sand-bath with 4ml HF, 2ml HClO 4 and 2ml HNO 3 and taken to dryness. The digested material was then redissolved with 1ml HN03 and then made up to 10ml with deionised water. Along with the samples, a blank and five certified reference materials were prepared. For the latter dissolution method, 40mg of sample was weighed into a platinum/gold crucible and mixed with 120mg of lithium metaborate. The mixture was then fused on a meker burner for 20-30 minutes, then allowed to cool with the resultant glass bead being dissolved in 5% HNO 3 and made up to 100ml. Along with the samples, a blank and the reference materials were prepared. The solutions were analysed by a combination of ICP-AES and ICP-MS. The fusion samples were analysed solely by Varian Vista Pro ICP-AES for the major elements. The HF dissolutions were analysed for trace elements by both ICP-AES and by Varian ICP-MS. ANOVA was undertaken for a number of major and trace elements, and two Null Hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 significance level. The first hypothesis was that layer A and layer B were not significantly different. For every element tested, this hypothesis was rejected because the F ratio (variation between group/variation within group) was higher
The stone and shell beads of the shell midden settlement of RH-5 (Muscat, Sultanate of Oman)
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.
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.
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.
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
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences , 2022
It has long been recognized that the use of beads for bodily adornment was a powerful means of creating and expressing social identities. Their symbolic significance and meaning-making lies in the intersection of how and where they are worn, their life histories of production and ownership, the time and skill invested in their manufacture, plus the cosmological import and values accorded their raw materials. While obsidian is known to have traveled to the southern Levant from various Anatolian sources since the Epipalaeolithic period, its use to make beads is rare. Over eight seasons, excavations at Tel Tsaf (ca. 5,200-4,700 cal. BC) in the Jordan Valley, Israel, have produced the richest obsidian bead assemblage in the southern Levant, part of a larger set of objects, and raw materials that attest to this Middle Chalcolithic community's participation in long-distance exchange networks. This paper details the obsidian bead assemblage, its morphometric and technological characteristics, and raw material sources based on their chemical compositions. It then discusses the assemblage's broader socioeconomic significance, and the possible means through which members of the community came to procure them.
At Tell Aswad, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site in Central Levant, a number of marine shell beads were found. Within this assemblage, the Cypraeidae specimens are the most numerous (14 objects). The present study reveals that several techniques were used for manipulating cowrie beads: grinding or hammering, engraving, drilling, etc. Local use wear observed on some areas as well as the location of the perforations are related to various attachment systems. Finally, the decorated incisions made on the ventral and lateral faces of some shell cowries, are one of the most original aspects for shell bead-making in the PPNB period in the Levant.
Shell objects from Tell Rad Shaqrah (Syria)
Polish excavations at Tell Rad Shaqrah in northeastern Syria revealed remains of a settlement dated primarily to the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. The paper presents a collection of beads and pendants made of shell and nacre from Rad Shaqrah, mostly from funerary contexts. These beads and pendants find parallels among finds from sites in northern Syria and Mesopotamia (Tell al-Raqa’i, Tell Beydar, Tell Brak, Tell Bi’a, Tawi, Qara Quzaq, Mari etc.) and also from southern Mesopotamia (Ur, Uruk, Abu Salabikh). Among the shell artifacts there are also items made of exotic shells, which raises the question of trade and exchange of shells in northern Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BC.