Ornaments and Other Ambiguous Artifacts from Franchthi: Volume 1, The Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic

326 Pages·2018·116.49 MB·English

by  Catherine Perlès

Ornaments and Other Ambiguous
Artifacts from Franchthi
Excavations at Franchthi Cave, Greece

F
ASCICLE 15
Ornaments and Other
Ambiguous Artifacts from
Franchthi
VOLUME I
The Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic
CATHERINE PERLÈS
With an Appendix by André C. Colonese
INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS
This book is a publication of
Indiana University Press
Office of Scholarly Publishing
Herman B Wells Library 350
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA
iupress.indiana.edu
© 2018 by Catherine Perlès
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any
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Cataloging information is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-253-03184-6 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-253-03185-3 (web PDF)
ISBN 978-0-253-03488-5 (print PDF)
1 2 3 4 5 23 22 21 20 19 18
Contents
v
C O N T E N T S
PROLOGUE xiv
PREFACE Goals and Methods xvi
Chapter One 1
What Do We Study? An Ambiguous and Probably Heterogeneous Set
of Artifacts 1
A Resolutely Diachronic Perspective 2
Ornamental Shells as Natural Species
The Multiple Facets of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Shells Ornaments 3
Ornaments as Artifacts
Ornaments as Symbolic Units
Evolving Sieving Procedures
Sampling Strategies: Storage Conditions and Recovery Procedures 6
A Contrasted Chronostratigraphic Precision
Identification of Species and Definition of Ornament Types
Methods of Study 7
Observations and Recording
Phasing the Ornament Assemblages 8
ORNAMENTS AND ORNAMENTAL SPECIES OF THE PALAEOLITHIC
Environmental Data: Past Shorelines and Potential Resources
Chapter Two The Exploitation of and 15
Chapter Three Cyclope neritea Cyclope pellucida 19
Taphonomic Issues and Representativeness of the Sample 19
Cyclope
Agent of Accumulation 20
sp.: An Exclusively Ornamental Taxon 20
Characterisation and Taxonomic Identification 21
Collecting Dead or Live Cyclopes? 24
Selection of Specimens and Production of Ornaments 25
A PrHoebalveimly aWtiocr nO rBneaamdse innt a T Pyrpoed:u ction Ce snptr.,e t?h e Tusk Shell 28
Chapter Four Antalis 41
Antalis
Taxonomy 41
The Palaeolithic sp.: A Partial Recovery 42
From Large to Tiny: Dimensional Variation 42
One or More Agents of Deposition? 45
Tusk Shells as Beads 49
Contents
vi
, Rare but Heavily Worn Dove Shell Beads
Chapter Five Columbellarustica 55
A Fair Representativeness of the Sample 55
A Collection on Beaches from Thanatocoenoses 56
A Selection of Large Specimens 58
RarTeh Pea Plaroedoulictthioicn O orf nthaem Deonvte T Syhpeells Beads 59
Homalopoma sanguineum
Chapter Six 63
Glycymeris
: An Early Upper Palaeolithic Ornament 63
sp.: Pendants or Ochre Recipients? 65
A Single Bone Bead … 67
… and a Unique Perforated Ibex Tooth 68
Not
Stone Beads: Probable Intrusions 68
DiaAch Nrootnei oc nV Saormiaet iSopnescies that We Did Considered as Ornamental. 70
Chapter Seven 73
VariaOtironnasm inen tthse a Inndte Snesditimy oefn Mt: aInnduefapcetnudreinngt ,V Uasreia atniodn Dsiscard of
Ornaments 73
Mammal Bones and Ornaments: Again, Independent Variations
Collecting Ornamental Shells and Shellfish: Independent Activities
Ornaments and Chipped Stone Artifacts: Still Independent Variations
Fluctuating Rates of Deposition of Ornaments and Unexpected
Similarities
DiachFrraonncich tVhai rOiartniaomn einnt tPhhea Cseo m1position of Ornament Assemblages
and Characterisation of Ornament Phases 82
Franchthi Ornament Phase 2
Franchthi Ornament Phase 3
Franchthi Palaeolithic Ornaments: A Uniquely Restricted and Stable
Range?
Chapter Eight
91
The Predominance of Marine Shells 92
The Predominance of Small, Basket-Shaped Beads and Carnivorous
Gastropods 92
Highly Selective Assemblages 93
Stable Choices throughout Many Millennia 96
Where Local Preferences Come into Play: Choice of Species and
Significant Absences 97
ORNAMENTS AND ORNAMENTAL SHELLS OF THE MESOLITHIC
Continuity in a Changing Environment
Chapter Nine 101
The Same Shell Ornaments … 101
A M…a sDseivsepliyte P ar eTdraonmsfionramnet dS pCeocaisetsa:l Environm ent 102
Chapter Ten Cyclopeneritea 105
Variations in Dimensions and Species Represented 106
A Blind Collection of Adults and Juveniles 108
Contents
vii
From Snail to Ornament 109
AbuAn dMaixn to fM Sehseolllsit whiicth Very Differe nt States of Use 112
Chapter Eleven Columbellarustica 143
A Collection in Thanatocoenoses, and Variable States of Preservation 143
Columbella rustica
A Double Process of Selection: On the Beach and in the Cave 145
Were Heat-Treated? 147
Perforating the Dove Shells 147
MesDoolivteh iSch ell Bead ss:p H.:e Aa vHiloy mUsoegde nOernoaums Aensstse mblage 149
Chapter Twelve Antalis 161
Beads of Variable Length 161
The Species Represented 165
Representativeness of the Sample 165
A Collection on Gravelly Beaches 165
Manufacturing the Beads 166
RarCeh Manegsoinlgit hthice OCorlnoaumr: ePnott eTnytpiaels Heat-Treatment and Deposits of Ochre 167
Chapter Thirteen 171
Perforated Pebbles (M. Miller and C. Perlès) 171
Conus mediterraneus
A Problematic Group: Bird Bone Beads or Tusk Shells? 176
Glycymeris
A Single Perforated : Mistake or Fancy? 179
Not
A Lonely Fragment of sp. 179
AbuAn dNaontec oen a Snhde Rllse sStpreicciteiso nth: aAt nW Oe vDeirdv iewC oofn tshidee Frreadn toc hBteh Oi Mrneasmoelinthtailc 180
Ornament Assemblages
Chapter Fourteen
181
Variations in the Density of Ornaments to the Volume of Sediment
Why So Many Ornaments? 181
Ornaments and Humans Burials
A Shift in Use between the Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic?
Variation behind Homogeneity 188
LessForanns cfhrothmi, aa TMypoincoatl oMneoduitse Srreaqnueeannc Seite for Ornaments 192
EPILOGUE 195
Franchthi, a Rare Example of a Coastal Production Centre … 195
… But a Singularly Monotonous Sequence 196
Basket-Shaped Beads, Yes, but Not Just Any Basket! 197
Cultural Continuity or Discontinuity: Which Proxy? 198
Revisiting the Franchthi Occupational Sequence 200
Lithics and Ornaments: Similar Discrepancies from a Synchronic View-
point 202
APPENDICES
Lists of Ornaments and Ornamental Shells per Trench and Unit
APPENDIX 1 Molluscan Remains from a Subsample of < 5 mm Residues by A. C. 205
Colonese
APPENDIX 2
223
Contents
viii
Introduction : Modern Shell Reference Collections
APPENDIX 3 and 249
Cyclope neritea
APPENDIX 3.1 Cyclope neritea Cyclope pellucida 251
Habitat and Conditions of Collection of 252
Reference Collections 254
Rates of Collection
Analyses of the Reference Collections 255
State of Preservation
Ratio of Juveniles to Adults
Variation in the Size Distribution of Adult
C. neritea
Experiments in Perforation 259
Heat Treatment 260
Columbella rustica
APPENDIX 3.2 Columbella rustica 263
Collecting in Thanatocoenoses along Beaches
Collecting 264
Collecting by Sight under Water
Collecting by Touch in Waist-Deep Water
Height Distribution on Beach Samples (Thanatocoenoses)
Dimensional Variation 268
Height Distribution in Underwater Samples Collected by Sight
Height Distribution in Underwater ‘Nests’
State of Preservation 271
Rates of Collection 273
From Reference Collections to Archaeological Inference 274
Expe srpim. ents in the Production of Dove Shell Beads 275
APPENDIX 3.3 Antalis 279
Dimensions
Reference Collections 280
State of Preservation
Experiments 281
APPENDIX 3.4 Conus mediterraneus 285
Reference Collections 285
Experiments 287
REFERENCES 289
INDEX 299
Tables
ix
T A B L E S
In the Text
1.1 General phasing of Franchthi Cave Palaeolithic and Mesolithic occupations. 10
1.2 Distribution of PalaeolitChyicc loapned Mesolithic ornament types according to the
Franchthi General Phasing. Cyclope 11
3.1 Altered and non-altered sCpy. bclyo ppehase. 20
3.2 Mean maximum diameter of measured adCuycltlo Uppeper Palaeolithic sp. 21
3.3 Proportion of adults and juvenile sp. per phase. 24
3.4 Proportion of burnt adultsC ayncldo pjueveniles sp. by phase. 25
3.5 Mean and standarCdy dcleovpieation of maximum diameter for measurable perforated
and non-perAfnotraaltiesd adult sp. by phase. 26
3.6 Intact perforated sp. and perforated specimens with a broken lip. 28
4.1 Number of sp. found in residues from Athneta ≥li s5 mm sieves and < 5 mm
sieves. Antalis Bit tium 42
4.2 Distribution by class of maximum diameter of sp. segments. 45
4.3 Pearson’s coefficients of correlation betCw. ereunst ica sp. segments, sp.,
Boraginaceae seeds and microflakes from the < 5 mm residues. 46
5.1 State of preservation of the Palaeolithic . 56
7.1 Synthetic list of Palaeolithic ornaments and ornamental shells by phase in H1A,
H1B and FAS. 75
7.2 Detailed counts of ornaments and Palaeolithic ornamental species in H1A,
H1B and FAS. 76
7.3 Abundance of ornaments and ornamental shells relative to the volume of
sediment (NISP/nb. litres). 78
7.4 Ratios of ornaments to mammal bones in H1B. 79
7.5 Ratios of ornaments to chipped stones artifacts in H1A, H1B and FAS
combined. 80
7.6 Relative abundance (% of NISP) of the Upper Palaeolithic ornamental taxa in
H1A, H1B and FAS combined. 83
7.7 Number of perforated and unperforated ornamental gastropods from FOP 1, in
H1A, H1B and FAS combined. 84
7.8 Perforated and unperforated specimens from FOP 3, in H1A, H1B and FAS
combined. Anta lis 87
8.1 Species diversity in Cthycel oPpaelaneeoriltiethaic asCse. pmebllulacgideas based on actual counts with
and without sp. Cy clope 94
10.1 Recorded Mesolithic Cy acnlodp e neritea from the four main trenches. 105
10.2 State of preservation of C. ne rsipte. aper phase, as percentages. 106
10.3 Proportion of adult and juvenile in the Mesolithic assemblages. 109
10.4 ProportCio. nne orfit heaeat-treated among juvenile and adult specimens. 110
10.5 Rates of unperforated and perforatCe.d n seprietceiamens among adult non-heated and
heated . C . neritea 110
10.6 Perforated and unperforated adult per phase. 111
10.7 Distribution of the types of perforation on by phase. 112