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THE MALACO+ARCHAEOLOGY GROUP
NEWSLETTER
Issue Number 2, April 2002 Coordinator: Janet Ridout Sharpe, BSc ARCS 66 Radnor Road, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 0PH, UK email: j.ridout-sharpe@cabi.org
Editorial
Welcome to the second issue of the Malacoarchaeology Group Newsletter - or should it be Archaeomalacology Group? Your comments are invited for the next Newsletter. Thank you to everyone who responded to the first issue (July 2001), and especially to those who have provided material for this one. All being well, the third issue will appear after the ICAZ 2002 Conference in August. Contributions (news, meeting reports, short articles, abstracts and reviews, lists of publications, etc.) will be very gratefully received!
New Group Member
Dennis NIEWEG: dcnieweg@xs4all.nl Archaeologist working in the Caribbean on 'man and molluscs' (diet, landscape reconstruction) for Leiden University in the Netherlands and the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago; Honorary Curator of Molluscs at the Natural History Museum, Rotterdam.
Nomenclature in archaeological
reports dealing with material from the Middle East by
Henk K. Mienis National
Mollusc Collection, Department of Evolution, Systematics & Ecology Hebrew
University, IL-91904 Jerusalem, Israel email:
mienis@netzer.org.il There has been a remarkable increase in the number of reports dealing with molluscs recovered during archaeological excavations carried out in the Middle East. This is a positive development because molluscs can supply archaeologists with lots of valuable information: trade routes, food exploitation, changes in climate, etc. A comparison of the various reports has revealed a striking discordance in the scientific nomenclature used. In my opinion, this is a rather unfortunate situation.
The malacologist will immediately recognise that Murex trunculus, Phyllonotus trunculus, Trunculariopsis trunculus and Hexaplex trunculus (the current correct name in bold) are one and the same species. The same is true for other species which have been exploited as a source for the coveted purple dye: Murex brandaris contra Bolinus brandaris and Thais haemastoma or Stramonita haemastoma. However, the archaeologist, not specialised in malacological nomenclature, will get the impression that he is dealing here with numerous different species. The situation becomes even more complicated when the names are completely different. In the past the edible cockle living in the eastern Mediterranean has been identified as Cardium edule. However, today we know that Cerastoderma edule is an Atlantic species which does not occur in the Mediterranean Sea, where it is replaced by a closely related species: Cerastoderma glaucum. A similar mix up in identification exists among the common blue mussels: not Mytilus edulis, an Atlantic species living in the Mediterranean Sea, but Mytilus galloprovincialis. In order to minimise differences in the nomenclature used in archaeological reports, authors are advised to use a standard nomenclature, such as that proposed by Sabelli et al., 1990, or better still to consult the CLEMAM-list: a checklist of European marine Mollusca based in principle on Sabelli et al., 1990, but updated regularly and available on the internet at: http://www.mnhn.fr/base/malaco.htlm. More advice: never write Hexaplex (Murex) trunculus or Cerastoderma (Cardium) glaucum as a way to show that trunculus and glaucum were once considered members of the genera Murex and Cardium respectively. In zoological nomenclature the name placed in brackets between a generic and a specific name indicates a subgeneric name. If you would like to indicate that in old reports they are reported respectively as Murex trunculus or as Cardium edule/Cardium glaucum, add a sentence or footnote explaining the name change. Reference Sabelli,
B., Giannuzzi-Savelli, R. & Bedulli, D., 1990. Annotated check-list of
Mediterranean marine mollusks,
1: 348 pp. Liberia Naturalistica Bolognese, Bologna.
Protohistoric shell bead manufacture and the problem
of string suspension: recent studies in the northwest Mediterranean region. By
Paulette Pauc* and Jacques Reinhard** (*paulettepauc@lycos.fr;
**jacques.reinhard@ne.ch) In Europe, on the western Mediterranean coast between eastern Provence (France) and the southern Iberian Peninsula (Spain), evidence has been found for shell bead manufacture at outdoor sites, together with beads in the course of production in a burial context, dating from the Early Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age (Barge, 1982; Courtin, 2000; Pascual Benito, 1998; Pauc, 1997, 2000a, 2000b, in press and in preparation; Siret & Siret, 1890; Taborin, 1974; Teruel Berbell, 1986). Our study area covers part of the Aude department in the south of France, where over the last 10 years numerous open-air workshops have been discovered for the manufacture of circular or disk-shaped beads for threading, made from the shells of Cerastoderma glaucum (Brug.). This craft industry appears to have been practised on a family scale between the Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze Age. The archaeological remains have allowed us to describe the stages of the manufacturing process in detail, from the raw material to the perfect completed bead (Pauc, 1997). We
have also described some unusual production stages that may be attributable to
the work of apprentices and/or to the use of a different manufacturing technique
(Pauc, 2000b; in press and in preparation). During
our experimental study, which began in 1996, we investigated the marine shell
deposits that the protohistoric craftsmen used as a source of raw material. We
also attempted to reconstruct the manufacturing process in parallel with a study
of the archaeological material. These two aspects are inseparable if we are to
be able to answer satisfactorily the many problems posed by the manufacture of
simple circular beads from the shell of Cerastoderma
glaucum: although they look simple, they are not easy to reproduce. Traces
of working have been observed on numerous examples using a binocular microscope,
and this has helped us to reconstruct the different stages of manufacture in
more detail than has previously been described. Among the stone tools, which form an integral part of the production process, we have identified grinding stones made of calcareous and siliceous sandstone, and drill bits or micropoints of flint which have previously been described as tools used for perforating shell (Pauc, 1997, 2000a, 2000b; Yerkes, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998). Grooved polishing stones, although absent from our sites, are known from Chemin de Sens at Marolles-sur-Seine (Augereau & Bonnardin, 1998) and at L’Abri de la Font-des-Pigeons at Chateauneuf-les-Martigues (Courtin, 2000). Ethnographic studies in the Solomon Islands (Woodford, 1908) and New Guinea (Malinowski, 1922) have demonstrated the use of grooved polishers to calibrate circular shell beads (we are grateful to Katherine Szabo for this information). The principal raw material, represented by Cerastoderma glaucum, was obtained from the Quaternary coastal marine deposit formed during the marine transgression dated to the Eutyrrhenian period (the maximum date for which has been estimated at +/-129,000 years BP in the Mediterranean) and known in our region from the literature and from personal experience. During this interglacial period, which was warmer than the present climate, the glaciers melted to produce a sea level that was 2-8 m higher than at present, at least on the coastline of our study area. Other names for this deposit in the Mediterranean are the ‘Cardium’ or ‘Strombus’ level. The relative abundance of Cerastoderma glaucum made it the raw material of choice among the numerous other taxa present in this deposit. The shells (adult and juvenile specimens) occur in both a usable subfossil form from marine clay deposits and an unusable form from shell coquina. The assemblage in the intermediate lagoon-marine levels and in shallow lagoons supplied the rest of the malacofauna that we have found in the archaeological sites. The size and thickness criteria of the valves from the sites appear to correspond with those from the deposits, but the choice of shell was not limited to the mean thickness of the shells (between 3 and 5 mm, according to the different varieties of Cerastoderma glaucum). A biometric study of potentially usable fragments, and crude and rounded shell blanks found at the archaeological sites, has shown that valves as thin as 2.2 mm and as thick as 6 mm were used. After
many trials, beads were reproduced using different species of shells and
threaded on a thin cord of lime bast fibre. This experimental reconstruction was
encouraged by the discovery of cords in the lake sites of western Switzerland,
which had been made with lime or willow bast, dating from the Neolithic to the
Bronze Age. The technique used for the S-2Z or Z-2S twisting of the string is
described by Reinhard & Pillonel (1989) and Reinhard (1993, 1997, 2001). The
use of twisted cords to decorate Corded Ware and Bell-Beaker ceramics of the
Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic provides additional evidence for the presence of
these cords. The use of a thin cord (the nature of which was not determined) to thread Dentalium beads has been attested in the Near East during the 4th millennium BC, thanks to exceptional preservation in arid conditions at Nawamis in southern Sinai (Daniella Bar-Yosef, personal communication), and beads have also been found on a suspension cord in the cave of Nahal Hemar in the southern Judean desert in Israel, dating to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B of the 8th-7th millennium BC (Schick 1988). These
examples suggest that similar discoveries may yet be made in a humid
environment. The lake site of La Draga at Banyoles (Girona, Spain), dated to the
Early Neolithic, where the early stages of a workshop for marine shell bead and
pendant manufacture have been found (Pauc, 2000a), may one day provide evidence
of perishable materials used in bead production including the thin cords used
for threading the beads. Observations
made after one month (from 15 October to 15 November 2001) of continuous wear of
the experimental string of beads showed that:
This first attempt will be repeated following a more
conventional protocol. References Augereau, A. & Bonnardin, S., 1998. Marolles-sur-Seine, "Le Chemin de Sens" (Seine et Marne) et la fabrication de parure en calcaire au Neolithique ancien. Bulletin de la Societe Prehistorique Francaise 95 (1): 23-29. Barge, H., 1982. Les parures du Neolithique ancien a l'Age des metaux en Languedoc. CNRS. 396 pp. Courtin, J., 2000. Les premiers paysans du Midi. Histoire de la France prehistorique de -6000 a -4500. La Maison des Roches. 128 pp. Malinowski, B., 1922. Argonauts of the Western Pacific. (7th impression, 1966). Keagan Paul, London. Pascual Benito, J. Ll., 1998. Utillaje, oseo, adornos e idolos neoliticos valencianos. Servicio de Investigacion Prehistorica, Serie de Trabajos Varios (Diputacion Provincial de Valencia) No. 95: 358 pp. Pauc, P., 1997. Reproduction de perles circulaires realisees en test de Cerastoderma edule. Journees d'Archeologie Experimentale du Parc de Beynac (Dordogne, F.), 1996-1997, Bilan No. 1: 7-66. Pauc, P., 2000a. Parures et ebauches de La Draga: premices d'un atelier. In: El poblat lacustre neolitic de La Draga, Ed. A. Bosch i Lloret, J. Chinchilla Sanchez, J. Tarrus i Galter. Monografies del CASC 2: 225-228. Girona. Pauc. P., 2000b.
Activite de fabrication protohistorique de parures en coquillages marins.
Bulletin de la Societe d'Etudes Scientifiques de l'Aude 200: 23-28. Pauc, P. (in press) La production de parures en coquillages marins, dans l'Aude (F.), entre le Neolitique final et le Bronze ancien. XX Colloqui International d'Arqueologia de Puigcerda 2000. Pauc, P. in collaboration with B. Pauc, E. Pons i Brun & J. Reinhard (and in preparation). Complement de fabrication de parures en coquillages d'apres les ateliers audois, les niveaux coquilliers, la problematique des liens de suspension et leurs applications. Journees d'Archeologie Experimentale du Parc de Beynac (Dordogne, F.), 1998-2000, Bilan No. 2. Reinhard, J., 1993. Etoffes cordees et metiers a pierres. Filage - Tissage, Musee Schwab, Bienne. Helvetia Archaeologica 90 (1992-1993): 51-55. Reinhard, J., 1997. Faire une cordelette a deux brins. ARKEO Junior No. 34: 21. Reinhard, J., 2001. Du liber a l'objet. ZAK 58, Heft 1/01: 57-60. Reinhard, J. & Pillonel, D., 1989. Le village Bronze final d'Hauterive-Champreveyres (lac de Neuchatel, Suisse). Liens, cordages et fils. In: Tissage, vannerie, corderie. Rencontres Antibes 1988: 141-148. APDCA, Juan-les-Pins. Schick, T., 1988. Cordage, basketry and fabrics. In: Bar-Yosef, O. & Alon (eds), Nahar Hemar Cave. Antiquot 18: 29-43. Siret, E. & Siret, L., 1890. Las primeras edades del metal en el sudeste de Espana. Barcelona. 534 pp. Taborin, Y., 1974. La parure en coquillage de l'Epipaleolithique au Bronze ancien en France. Gallia Prehistoire 17 (fasc.1 and 2): 101-179, 307-417. Terruel Berbell, M. S., 1986. Objetos de adorno en el Neolitico de Andalucia oriental. Sintesis tipologica. Cuadernos de Prehistoria de la Universidad de Granada 11: 9-26. Woodford, C. M., 1908. Notes on the manufacture of the Malaita shell bead money of the Solomon Group. Man 8 (43): 81-84. Yerkes, R. W., 1989. Shell bead production and exchange in prehistoric Mississippian populations. Proceedings of the 1986 Shell Bead Conference, Selected Papers (ed. C. F. Hayes III, L. Ceci & C. C. Bodner). Research Records, Research Division of the Rochester Museum and Science Center, New York, No. 20: 113-123. Yerkes, R. W., 1991. Specialization in shell artifact production at Cahokia. In: New perspectives on Cahokia, views from the periphery (ed. J. B. Stoltman). Monographs in World Archaeology No. 2: 49-64. Prehistory Press, Madison, WI. Yerkes, R. W., 1993. Methods of manufacturing shell beads at prehistoric Mississippian sites in southeast North America. In: Traces et fonction: les gestes retrouves. Colloque international de Liege 1990. CNRS. Etudes et recherches de l'Universite de Liege, Eraul 50, vol. 1: 235-241. Yerkes, R. W., 1995. Marine shell bead production in the Mississippian world. Paper read at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Beloit. Yerkes, R. W., 1997. Using lithic artifacts to study crafts specialization in ancient society. 99th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, Chicago (eds P. N. Kardulias & R. W. Yerkes). Yerkes, R. W., 1998. Microwear analysis of microdrills from feature 17 on the Fingerhut tract of the Cahokia sites (11-S-34/7).
Recent Publications from Catherine Dupont, 11 Le Grand Etang, 44270 Machecoul, France (tel. 0240022703); email: Catherine.Dupont @ malix.univ-paris1.fr and Aydin Orstan, 13348 Cloverdale Place, Germantown, MD 20874, USA; email: bdelloid1@aol.com Gruet,
Y. & Dupont, C., 2001. Au Neolithique dans le Centre-Ouest de la France, la
peche des coquillages reflete-t-elle l'environnement marin? pp.183-199. In:
L'Helgouach, J. & Briard, J. (eds), Systemes
fluviaux, estuaires et implantations humaines de la prehistoire aux grandes
invasions, 124e Actes des congres nationaux des societes historiques et
scientifiques, Nantes, 1999. Editions du Comite des travaux historiques et
scientifiques, Paris. Abstract:
Marine shells from Neolithic sites of western central France have been analysed.
Cumulative graphics have been drawn to compare the composition of shell
assemblages with their ecological distribution. The malacofauna can be
classified into three main biotopes: rock, sand and mud. The same method was
used to study core shell assemblages. The results from Neolithic sites are
compared with those from cores, and the sources of shellfish and the possible
transportation of shells over long or short distances are discussed. Dupont,
C. & Gruet, Y., 2001. Variations morphologiques de mollusques gastropodes
(Nucella lapillus and Hinia
reticulata): interets pour l'archeologie. G.M.P.C.A., Archeometrie'99, 21-24
avril 1999, Lyon, France. Revue
d'Archeometrie 24: 53-61. Abstract:
The shape of Nucella lapillus and Hinia
reticulata varies with the ecology of the biota. This variation in shape is
known in the Atlantic and the English Channel.
N. lapillus tends to be more elongate in sheltered inlets compared with
those from exposed rocky shores. Two varieties of H.
reticulata differ in shape: H.
reticulata nitida is typical of very sheltered inlets and has less numerous
and larger costae. Living populations of gastropods were studied in the Atlantic
(Gulf of Biscay). The intensity of exposure is correlated with depth near the
shore and wave action. Shape variations were clearly correlated with exposure.
The opposite reasoning was applied to archaeological samples. From the shape of
the shell, the biotope is deduced and the probable type of shore from which it
was collected. Shape variation in H.
reticulata from the Mesolithic site of La Vergne suggests they were
collected on sheltered shores about 60 km away from the site. The shape
variation of N. lapillus from the
Neolithic site of Ponthezieres shows this species was collected on mid-exposed
shores, such as the one close to the site. Orstan,
A., 2001. A preliminary survey of Albinaria
populations around Kusadasi Bay, Turkey. Triton
No. 4: 42-44. Abstract:
A survey of Albinaria snails at 44
stations (approx. 10x10 m) in the vicinity of Kusadasi Bay in southwest Turkey
in 1998 and 2000 revealed four conchologically distinct taxa: A. caerulea maculata, A. caerulea calcarea, A. lerosiensis and A.
puella. These were absent from 11 calcareous stations and all five
non-calcareous stations. Together with other land snails, they were absent from
the marble ruins of ancient Claros, probably because this site is in marshy
ground and by the 1950s was partly buried by alluvium. A.
caerulea maculata and A. caerulea
calcarea coexisted at only two stations. The distribution range of A.
lerosiensis appeared to be centred around two archaeological sites. It was
found at Notium in 1998 but previously was known only from the Bodrum (ancient
Halicarnassus) area approx. 110 km to the south. This disjunct distribution
suggests that it was introduced to one or both sites by human activity.
Meetings International
Council for Archaeozoology 2002 Conference, Durham, UK, 26-28 August 2002. For
further details, contact the organisers at: ICAZ 2002, Department of
Archaeology, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK; tel: 0191 374
1139; email: icaz.2002@durham.ac.uk; website: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/icaz IV
Reunion Nacional de Geoarqueologia, Almazan, Spain, 16-18 September 2002. This conference is organised by the Geoarchaeology Group of the Spanish Association for Quaternary Studies (AEQUA). For details, contact Alfredo Perez-Gonzales, Facultad de Ciencias Geologicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; tel: +34 91 3944890; email: alfredog@geo.ucm.es, or the AEQUA website at http://tierra. rediris.es/aequa/congres2.htm.
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