Shell beads as markers of Oceanic dispersal: A rare Cypraeidae ornament type from the Mariana Islands

Geoffrey Clark, Michelle Langley, Mirani Litster, Olaf Winter, Judith Amesbury

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

    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 languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationThe Archaeology of Portable Art: Southeast Asian, Pacific, and Australian Perspectives
    Editors M Langley, M Litster, D Wright & S May
    Place of PublicationOxford and New York
    PublisherRoutledge
    Pages142-161
    Edition1st
    ISBN (Print)9781315299112
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2018

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