New insights into the technological management of the Neolithic cowrie beads in the Levant: An experimental and traceological approach. - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Chapitre D'ouvrage Année : 2021

New insights into the technological management of the Neolithic cowrie beads in the Levant: An experimental and traceological approach.

Résumé

The Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) village of Tell Halula (Northern Syria) has yielded an important assemblage of cowrie beads that were employed in the composition of belts and diadem-like ornaments. Cowrie shells were perforated through the complete removal of the dorsal part. The techno-traceological analyses and comparisons with the created experimental references indicate that the perforations were first made by percussion, then leveled by grinding. In addition to the technical traces of perforation recorded on the dorsum, ambiguous large facets full of striations cover the ventral side of the cowries. Were these intentionally abraded in order to fit the shells into garments or supports? Were they formed accidentally during the manufacture process, or produced during the use of the ornament? Based on the experimental results, it was hypothesized that the finishing stage of the perforation was carried out using a device to seize a batch of shells during the grinding. The batch processing is argued by the regularity and homogeneity of the finishing quality, and by the highly standardized thickness of the shells. The technological management of cowries through batch processing is also discussed taking into consideration the PPNB chrono-cultural context during which body ornaments pass an important quantitative and qualitative threshold along with the consolidation of the farming life-style in Mesopotamia and the Levant
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Dates et versions

hal-03653711 , version 1 (29-04-2022)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-03653711 , version 1

Citer

Hala Alarashi. New insights into the technological management of the Neolithic cowrie beads in the Levant: An experimental and traceological approach.. Sylvie Beyries; Caroline Hamon; Yolaine Maigrot. Beyond Use-Wear Traces. Going from tools to people by means of archaeological wear and residue analyses, Sidestone press, pp.171-183, 2021, 9789464260007. ⟨hal-03653711⟩
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