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THE ARCHAEO+MALACOLOGY GROUP NEWSLETTER Issue Number 11, May 2007
Coordinator: Janet Ridout-Sharpe,
BSc ARCS Editorial This
issue of the AMG Newsletter includes articles on the molluscs from Pompeii, the
extra-territorial distribution of Papillifera papillaris, and the distribution
of Elia moesta moesta in Israel. These two clausiliid species appear to have
extended their range through human agency: perhaps we could continue this theme
with further articles in the newsletter. This issue also includes a summary of
some recent work carried out on the molluscs from some prehistoric wells and
ditches on the west coast of Cyprus, abstracts of papers, and some notes about
forthcoming conferences. I
would like to thank all the contributors to this newsletter for their support,
and to encourage everyone to keep those contributions coming in: short articles,
reports, queries, news, items for abstracting - anything archaeomalacological. Thanks
are due, as before, to Kath Szabo of the ICAZ Archaeomalacology Working Group
and to Aydin Örstan for posting this newsletter on their websites: http://triton.anu.edu.au/
and http://home.earthlink.net/~aydinslibrary/AMGnews.htm,
respectively. These websites also host back issues of the AMG Newsletter. The
next issue will hopefully appear later this year, once I have received
sufficient copy. (JRS)
Molluscs from Regio V, Insula 1 at Pompeii: a preliminary report
Since
2000, the Swedish Institute of Classical Studies at Rome in collaboration with
Stockholm University has investigated a series of Roman houses and shops located
within the northern half of Insula 1 in Regio V at Pompeii. The cleaning and
close examination of the different rooms in the houses and stores (excluding the
peristyle garden of V1.18) produced, as of October 2006, a total of 105 mollusc
remains. Here, the origin and possible usage of these invertebrates is analysed
in order to gain a better understanding of Roman everyday life in ancient
Pompeii. Today,
the ancient city of Pompeii is located about two kilometres from the
Mediterranean coast. However, the topography which surrounds the ruins of
Pompeii is, at least in two significant aspects, completely different from the
original Roman landscape. Firstly, the coast of the Mediterranean Sea could have
been much closer to the town of Pompeii. Recent investigations outside the city
walls evidence the possible existence of a harbour in the Roman period
(Hernandez, 2005: 371). It is possible to define Pompeii as a seaboard town
whose inhabitants had daily contact with the sea. Also, there is another change
in the landscape shown by the current location of the Sarno River, which flows
today approximately one kilometre to the south of Pompeii. It seems that the
ancient course of the river could have been located close to the south-eastern
limit of the ancient city, with its estuary located near the Stabian Gate (cf.
Strabo, 5.4.8). The current location of the river is the result of a major
displacement produced by the volcanic masses during the eruption of AD 79. Thus,
in order to better understand the ancient topography surrounding the Roman city
it is necessary to imagine a seaboard town with its port located to the
south-west, while towards the south we would find the mouth of the Sarno River
which ran from the ager Campanus and flowed parallel to the necropolis located
extra muros to the south-east of the city (cf. Varro, De re rustica, 1.6.). The
oldest reports that mention shells from Pompeii date to the second half of the
19th century (Damon, 1867; Monterosato, 1872, 1879; Tiberi, 1879a, 1879b).
Later, a few specimens also found in Pompeii were mentioned in the studies on
the gardens of Pompeii and Herculaneum by W.F. Jashemski (Jashemski, 1979,
1993). However, it was not until recent years that an important advance in the
study of the Pompeian molluscs was made by D.S. Reese in 1987, although his
investigations on the shell collections from Pompeii present in the deposits of
the Soprintendenza Archeologica of Pompeii and at the National Archaeological
Museum in Naples were not published until 2002 (Reese, 2002). Recent excavations
within Pompeii have provided us with further mollusc remains and valuable
comparative material (Kokabi, 1982; Robinson, 1999; Genovese, et al., 2001).
Table
1: Molluscs from Regio V Insula 1 at Pompeii (Swedish Pompeii Project 2000-2006)
All
the marine shells in our collection seem to originate from the Gulf of Naples
(cf. Robinson, 1999: 102) and are edible species. As ancient sources tell us,
the Romans consumed a variety of marine molluscs, some of which were so popular
that they were cultivated; an example is the oyster farms in the Gulf of Naples
(Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, VIII.223; Varro, De re rustica, 3.17;
Columella, De re rustica, 8.16.7). The source of the freshwater mollusc is
probably the Sarno River. Taking
a closer look at the distribution of the mollusc remains within Insula 1, we are
able to observe that the caupona [tavern] at V1.13 produced a total of 25 marine
mollusc remains (six species). The so-called 'bakery' at V1.15 produced the
remains of 12 marine molluscs (six species). The House of the Greek Epigrams, at
V1.18, produced the remains of 39 marine molluscs (13 species), as well as the
freshwater snail. The shop at V1.20-21 produced the remains of five marine
molluscs (three species), all concentrated in room 'd' of the shop. The house at
V1.23 produced the remains of 16 marine molluscs (seven species). Of these
remains, 12 present traces of mortar which could indicate their use in
construction as decorative elements. Also, seven bivalves are water-worn and
seem to have been collected dead on the beach. Finally, the House of Cecilius
Iucundus, at V1.26, produced the remains of seven marine molluscs (four
species), which seem to be exclusively food remains. The
mollusc remains and their possible uses can broaden our knowledge of life in
ancient Pompeii. In 1879, N. Tiberi stressed that all the species of Pompeian
molluscs that he studied were edible (Tiberi, 1879a: 96), which fact can also be
applied to the collection of molluscs found in the northern half of the insula
at Pompeii V1. A visual analysis of the shells has shown that over 90% of the
remains were not exposed to water wear; thus, they had been fished for
consumption and were not collected dead on the beach. It is possible to suggest
that some of the shells in the collection could have been used for decoration
(cf. Claassen, 1998: 81 and table 6) since most of them have a very attractive
visual appearance. Moreover, we have two Cerastoderma edule [=glaucum] that
present traces of having been attached with cement to an architectural feature
(cf. Ovid, Metamorph., 8.563-564 and Tiberi, 1879a: 97), such as, for example, a
nymphaeum. However, it is difficult to confirm whether these mollusc remains had
a decorative use or whether they represent only material that fortuitously was
included in the mortars used in construction. A more complete and comprehensive study of the mollusc remains from this insula at Pompeii V1 will be published by the Swedish Institute of Classical Studies at Rome in collaboration with Stockholm University in 2008. It will include the invertebrate remains of the peristyle garden of V1.18, an excavation conducted in collaboration with Oxford University.
References More notes on the extra-territorial distribution of Papillifera papillaris, a species often associated with archaeological sites
Recently
two articles have been devoted to the presence of Papillifera papillaris (Müller,
1774), family Clausiliidae, in Istanbul, Turkey (Örstan, 2006; Gümüs, 2006).
This clausiliid has to be considered an exotic species in Turkey; however, many
questions about the way and time of its arrival in Istanbul and elsewhere in
Turkey have remained unanswered. Gümüs (2006) finished her article with seven
questions, to which we would like to add another two: one dealing with the
nomenclature of this interesting species and another concerning additional
localities of Papillifera in Turkey. A study of samples of Papillifera in the National Mollusc Collection of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ) and a follow-up review of the literature has allowed us to answer some of these questions.
1.
Papillifera papillaris (Müller, 1774) or Papillifera bidens
(Linnaeus, 1758)?
2.
Additional records of Papillifera bidens bidens from Turkey. TURKEY: Istanbul, ex Boucard/Tomlin/Peile/Blok (HUJ 50962/4); Istanbul, Eyup, leg. J. Wahrman, 21 August 1951 (HUJ 31307/44); Istanbul, Rümeli Hisar, leg. J. Wahrman, 14 July 1963 (HUJ 30999/2); Gallipoli (=Gelibolu Yanmadasi), ex Monterosato (HUJ 50965/2). Gelibolu Yanmadasi might be a new locality for this species. Eyup and Rümeli Hisar have been mentioned already by Bank and Menkhorst (1994). More samples of this species from Turkey collected by the late Prof. J. Wahrman and the late Dr H. Zinner were once in the HUJ collection, but some 20 years ago they were lost in the mail when sent for identification to Germany.
3.
Are there any records of Papillifera bidens bidens from Greece and
Bulgaria? GREECE: Corfu, ex Tomlin/Peile/Blok (HUJ 50963/8); Corinth, Acrocorinthus, ex Tomlin/Peile/Blok (HUJ 50964/2); ancient Corinth, ex Carmichael/Blok 1058b (HUJ 50960/5).
These
records form a partial affirmative answer to the question posed by Gümüs
(2006) as to whether this clausiliid also occurs in Greece and Bulgaria. The
presence of it in Greece has been noted previously from at least the following
localities: the islands of Corfu/Kerkira (in the town by that name) and Levkas
(in the town by that name, Nehrung, Frini and Kaligoni) and in Epirus (Prevesa
and Arta) (all Klemm, 1962); on the islands of Kephallinia (three localities
near Argostolion) and Zakynthos (Citadel of Zakynthos) (all Rähle, 1980); in
continental Greece, ca. 15 km from Ioánina, Peleponnes (vicinity of Pilos) and
the island Zakynthos (in the town by that name) (all Frank, 1987, 1988). We have failed to find any record so far of Papillifera bidens bidens from Bulgaria.
4.
Are there any records of Papillifera bidens from the Western
Mediterranean? SPAIN
(mainland): Barcelona (Citadel), ex Del Prete/Monterosato/Coen 8915 (HUJ
50985/1, identified as Clausilia catalonica Fagot); Tarragona, ex Champ/Blok
3109a (HUJ 50984/6).
These records confirm those existing in the literature from Catalonia (Haas, 1929; Vilella, 1967; Bech, 1990), Mallorca (Jaeckel and Plate, 1964, 1965) and Menorca (Altimira, 1972).
5.
What was the original range of distribution of Papillifera bidens s.l.? All the records of Papillifera bidens s.l. from France (mainland), Spain, North Africa, Greece and Turkey are the result of anthropogenic introductions, i.e. these clausiliids were dispersed by man (Giusti, et al., 1995; Nordsieck, 2002; Falkner, et al., 2002). Most of these localities are well known as ancient sites where especially the Romans left traces of their occupation. When and how this clausiliid species reached these sites can only be traced by studying the mollusc material from carefully executed archaeological excavations.
6.
What about the status of Papillifera bidens along the east coast of the
Adriatic?
References The Basommatophora of Turkey
Burçin Askim Gümüs has recently co-authored another paper on the non-marine molluscan fauna of Turkey, which may be useful to archaeomalacologists working in this area:
Yildirim,
M.Z., Gümüs, B.A., Kebapçi, Ü. and Koca, S.B., 2006. The basommatophoran
pulmonate species (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology,
30 (4): 445-458. ABSTRACT: To date, based on the studies of foreign and Turkish malacologists, 28 basommatophoran snail species belonging to 16 genera from five families (Physidae, Lymnaeidae, Planorbidae, Ancylidae and Acroloxidae) have been identified in the freshwaters of Turkey. The genera Acroloxus (one species), Galba (one), Stagnicola (one), Radix (two), Lymnaea (one), Physa (one), Physella (one), Planorbarius (one), Ferrissia (one), Planorbis (two), Anisus (four), Bathyomphalus (one), Gyraulus (eight), Hippeutis (one), Ancylus (one) and Bulinus (one) are recognised. In addition, 16 species (including eight recent) and five subspecies are known from Quaternary fossil deposits. The taxonomic position and geographical distribution of the 28 species are discussed.
Data concerning the distribution of Elia moesta moesta (Rossmässler, 1839) (Gastropoda: Clausiliidae), an exotic species in Israel
The clausiliid species Elia moesta s.l. is represented in Israel by two subspecies: Elia moesta moesta (Rossmässler, 1839) and Elia moesta georgi Forcart, 1975. The latter occurs under natural conditions in the hills of Western Galilee and on Mount Carmel near Haifa (Forcart, 1975). The nominal subspecies, Elia moesta moesta, has to be considered an exotic mollusc in Israel, which was introduced in the past, once or several times, from somewhere in its natural range: the coastal areas of either Lebanon, Syria (Latakia), Turkey (Hatay) or Cyprus (Bank and Menkhorst, 1994; Schütt, 1996). The two subspecies occurring in Israel can be differentiated with the help of the following morphological characters of the shell (after Forcart, 1975):
Axial
ribs on whorls following the protoconch arranged more distantly than those on
the penultimate whorl
…………………………………………………………….
................................................Elia moesta moesta
Distribution
of Elia moesta moesta in Israel
TEL
SHIQMONA: south of Haifa, leg. H.K. Mienis, December 1996 (TAU 42858);
In
addition there are some old literature records of Elia moesta moesta from
Jerusalem (Bourguignat, 1853 - as Clausilia saulcyi; Bourguignat, 1868 -
as Clausilia hierosolymitana; Pallary, 1939), but we (the late Prof. G.
Haas, Prof. J. Heller and the author) have failed to locate this species there
during the last 70 years. All the specimens mentioned above were exclusively encountered under stones, tree trunks or pieces of wood.
The
archaeological connection The
presence of Elia moesta moesta in the Botanical Garden of the Tel Aviv
University in Ramat Aviv can be explained by the transfer of plants from the old
botanical garden at the former premises of the Department of Zoology of the Tel
Aviv University at Abu Kabir, Tel Aviv-Yafo, to the current premises. However,
no explanation has been found so far for its presence in Hadera (garden) and
Netanya (orchard).
References The Mollusca from some prehistoric wells and ditches on the west coast of Cyprus
Summary The
wells and ditches yielded 27 and 15 species of Mollusca, respectively. In both
cases land snails predominated, both in number of species and number of
individuals. Some of the 74 samples contained large quantities of tiny
juveniles: eight of them contained over 10,000 shells each. In contrast, marine,
brackish and freshwater species were mostly represented in the samples by single
shells. Overall,
the 18 species of land snails (dominated by Cecilioides spp. and
Hygromiidae) are indicative of a rather dry, open environment. The shells
provide little evidence for environmental change over the time period
represented, and individual variation in the molluscan assemblages in the
different wells and ditches is probably attributable to microhabitat
differences, such as the degree of shade or shelter. Large numbers of juveniles
of almost all the land snail species suggest that the infilling wells provided
ideal breeding grounds. Some species (Lauria, Vitrea, Oxychilus and Daudebardia)
are indicative of damper conditions or at least more shelter, perhaps in the
form of ground cover. The
non-land snail fauna, although numerically insignificant (44 individuals in toto
compared with more than 100,000 land snails), offers more environmental clues
and also an insight into cultural activities. Whereas all the land snails would
have naturally occurred in the wells and ditches, the non-land snails must have
entered these contexts indirectly through human agency, probably by way of
general occupation debris. The freshwater snails suggest the presence of both a
permanent, well-oxygenated water source (Melanopsis praemorsa, in the
wells only) and a more temporary or marshy wet area (Galba truncatula) in
the vicinity. Both species may have found their way onto the site through the
collection of drinking water, although the latter was more probably introduced
on wetland vegetation. The two brackish water species (Truncatella
subcylindrica and Leucophytia bidentata) are indicative of upper
shore, estuarine or salt marsh conditions, and their presence again may be
correlated with the gathering of vegetation, possibly for thatching. Two of the
marine species (Bittium reticulatum and Rissoa lineolata) are
small shore-dwelling gastropods that may have been introduced with seaweed,
which is known to have been used in building construction, or with mud or sand.
Limpets and topshells (Patella caerulea and Osilinus spp.,
respectively) were common food items at Kissonerga-Mylouthkia, but they occurred
infrequently in the wells and were absent in the ditches. The only species which
directly shows the hand of man is the little dove shell, Columbella rustica,
the two specimens of which had been carefully pierced to make beads; these were
found in separate wells. The low number of marine shells suggests that the wells
were all fairly remote from midden deposits and living and working areas. Despite representing different time periods, the Mollusca from the wells and ditches at Kissonerga-Mylouthkia tell a similar story, in terms of environment and human activity.
Acknowledgement
More archaeomalacology from Greece and Cyprus
With thanks to David Reese for the following two papers:
Reese,
D.S., 2006. Appendix 2. The LH IIIC marine invertebrates from Lefkandi. In:
Evely, D. (ed.), Lefkandi IV, the Bronze Age: the Late Helladic IIIC
settlement at Xeropolis. Supplementary volume, No. 39. London, The British
School at Athens. pp. CD 20-29. ABSTRACT: The 1964-66 and 1969 excavations at Lefkandi in Euboea, Greece, produced over 250 marine shells from Late Helladic IIIC deposits. The shells recovered from tombs, and about 25 Conus mediterraneus found together in an askos in the East House, have been previously published; this paper catalogues 239 shells from about 30 different units, mostly corresponding to building fill and debris. Nineteen species are represented, comprising seven species of gastropods and 12 species of bivalves. Hexaplex trunculus (n=26) was the most frequent gastropod, at least 22 individuals of which are considered to be food remains. The majority of individuals of the remaining gastropods are also considered to represent food: Cerithium vulgatum (13), Patella caerulea (12), Monodonta [=Osilinus] spp. (4), Bolinus brandaris (3), Haliotis tuberculata lamellosa (1). However, a few of these were water-worn, including one Cerithium vulgatum that had been holed for suspension. Conus mediterraneus (6) was represented by worn specimens, including three apices of which one was a conus-top bead. Most of the bivalves are also considered to represent food debris, although most species also included a few water-worn shells: Chamelea gallina (32 valves), Arca noae (21), Ostrea edulis (19), Pinna nobilis (16), Cerastoderma glaucum (7), Acanthocardia tuberculata (4), Tapes [=Ruditapes] decussatus (3), Venus verrucosa (2), Mytilus galloprovincialis (1), Callista chione (1). One Pinna nobilis may have been utilised as a tool. The most frequent bivalve was Spondylus gaederopus (52) which was represented by at least 33 fresh individuals; one shell appears to have been ground down to form a spoon. All the Glycymeris violascens [=G. violacescens, G. insubrica] (16) were worn and one was used as a container for some 'purple material'. Further discussion of the Conus mediterraneus from the askos, some of which had been ground down and holed on the labial side, includes a description of similar shells from other Greek, Cypriot and Israeli sites. In some cases these worked cones had been filled with lead; their purpose is still unclear.
Reese,
D.S., 2006. Marine invertebrate exploitation at Akrotiri-Aetokremnos. Report
of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus, 2006: 23-37. ABSTRACT:
This early (9th millennium BC) site near the south coast of Cyprus produced
the largest marine shell assemblage ever excavated on the island. The vast
majority of the 73,445 fragments, representing 21,607 individuals (of which 4377
were burnt) are food debris, mainly topshells (Monodonta [=Osilinus]
spp.) with 20,760 individuals representing 96.1% of the entire assemblage, and
limpets (Patella spp.) with 642 individuals representing 3% of the
assemblage. These edible species are supplemented by fresh-collected shells of Cerithium
vulgatum (2), Turritella communis (1), Arca noae (1) and Venus
verrucosa (1), together with the remains of a cuttlefish (Sepia sp.),
three crabs and a sea urchin. About 21% of the topshells and 40% of the limpets
are burnt, suggesting that these molluscs were eaten either raw or roasted over
an open fire. After topshells and limpets, the next most frequent species are Columbella
rustica (89 shells), Dentalium [=Antalis] spp. (49) and Conus
mediterraneus (25). These are considered to be non-food ornamental species,
and include a number of worked or naturally perforated 'beads'. Altogether 154
shells could have been used as beads or pendants: 75 Columbella rustica,
49 Dentalium (of which two have clean-cut edges showing that they were
made from larger shells), 23 Conus mediterraneus (most of which are small
and similar in size to Columbella rustica), five (of eight) Cerithium
vulgatum, one Euthria cornea and one (of six) Glycymeris sp.
The ornamental shells are the earliest recorded from Cyprus. A catalogue of the
marine invertebrate assemblage according to stratum and feature is presented. Conference news
World
Congress of Malacology, Antwerp, July 2007
European
Association of Archaeologists, Zadar, September 2007 The
aim of this session is to examine the presence of Spondylus in European
and particularly Balkan and Aegean prehistoric contexts. Themes may include: New
data from on-going excavations or from new studies and publications; New
laboratory studies relating to the source of raw material; Inter- and intra-site
distribution; Spondylus annulets; The biographical approach: procuring,
making, using, reusing, repairing, altering, destroying and hoarding Spondylus
artefacts; V-Klappe, V-notched, bi-winged or entaillés Spondylus
artefacts; Experimental reproductions and use of ethnographic resources; Spondylus
ornaments in relation to other adornment types and materials; Spondylus
mythologies in a world-wide context. The organiser of this session is Fotis Ifantidis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, email: fotisif@hotmail.com. Please refer to his 2006 article, 'Enigmatic' notched Spondylus ornaments from the Neolithic: new evidence from the Aegean', Archaeo+Malacology Group Newsletter, No. 9: 3-5.
ICAZ
Archaeomalacology Working Group, Santander, February 2008
The
theme of the meeting will be 'Not only food: marine, terrestrial and freshwater
molluscs in archaeological sites'. Different species of molluscs are encountered
in archaeological sites; most of the time, these were intentionally collected by
humans in coastal marine substrates, wetlands and river channels, and taken to
the sites to be used for food. Often their remains form large accumulations.
Evidence for shells that were not used for food, but rather as raw materials for
making artefacts such as ornaments and tools is also abundant. Studies of
molluscan remains typically concentrate on diet, but also consider other aspects
of human existence, such as palaeoenvironmental context, trade and exchange, and
artefact production. The purpose of this workshop is to present world-wide
research on the many aspects of mollusc use by human societies. The
organizers of this meeting are Esteban Álvarez-Fernández, Universidad de
Cantabria, Santander, Spain, email: esteban.alvarez@unican.es,
estebanalfer@hotmail.com and Diana
Rocio Carvajal-Contreras, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada,
email: drcarvaj@ucalgary.ca, diacarco@hotmail.com.
The final date for submission of abstracts for papers and posters is 30
September 2007. |
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