Abstract
We present experimental and micro-trace evidence for an unusual Cypraeidae bead type associated with the earliest cultural deposits of the Bapot-1 site in the Marianas Islands in Western Micronesia. Results show that these ground-section cowry beads were strung together while worked dorsum found at this same site were used as pendants/lids. The probable occurrence of ground-section beads on Tikopia island ~4000 km from the Marianas suggests that these distinctive shell artefacts can assist archaeological understanding of early Oceanic dispersals and interaction among different colonising Neolithic groups in the Indo-Pacific.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | The Archaeology of Portable Art: Southeast Asian, Pacific, and Australian Perspectives |
Editors | M Langley, M Litster, D Wright & S May |
Place of Publication | Oxford and New York |
Publisher | Routledge |
Pages | 142-161 |
Edition | 1st |
ISBN (Print) | 9781315299112 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2018 |