Using shell tools in Mesolithic and early Neolithic coastal sites from Northern Spain: experimental program for use wear analysis in malacological materials.

RESUMEN: Uno de los debates más extendidos en la historiografía sobre el Mesolítico y el Neolítico inicial en la región cantábrica es el de la escasez de tecnologías “tradicionales” en la mayor parte de los contextos existentes, especialmente en aquellos con grandes acumulaciones de conchas. Actualmente, varias de las hipótesis propuestas atribuyen este fenómeno a diferencias en la organización espacial de los asentamientos, al aumento en la utilización de materiales perecederos o a cambios en las estrategias de subsistencia. A partir del hallazgo de siete instrumentos de concha en el yacimiento de Santimamiñe (Kortezubi, Bizkaia), que a su vez constituyen la primera evidencia de su categoría en la región cantábrica, se propone como hipótesis el empleo de tecnologías de concha en algunas de las actividades productivas desarrolladas por los grupos de cazadores recolectores de los períodos indicados. Con el objetivo de confirmar/refutar los resultados obtenidos mediante el análisis funcional de estos instrumentos se ha llevado a cabo un programa experimental con diferentes especies de moluscos para procesar madera, piel fresca/seca y planta no leñosa. Los resultados del programa experimental confirman la utilización de estos instrumentos en diversas actividades productivas orientadas al procesado de algunas de estas materias.ABSTRACT: One of the most common debates surrounding the Mesolithic and early Neolithic periods in northern Spain focuses on the scarcity of lithic and osseous technologies identified in large shell midden contexts. Currently, several hypotheses have been proposed that attribute this phenomenon to differences in site spatial organization, increases in perishable material use, or changes in subsistence strategies. However, recently shell tools have been identified in the early Neolithic levels at Santimamiñe cave located in the Basque Country of northern Spain. These artifacts are the first evidence of shell tools to be identified in Northern Spain in an early Neolithic shell midden context. This paper proposes the hypothesis that shell tools were being used in subsistence activities. To test this hypothesis, the authors developed an experimental programme using different types of mollusc shells to examine evidence of functional use on wood, dry/fresh animal skin and non-woody plants. The experimental results were then used to examine the patterns of use on the seven shell tools from Santimamiñe. The results of the comparisons indicate that the seven shell tools have similar use patterns as the experimental shells. This evidence supports the proposed hypothesis that shell tools may have been used frequently in shell midden contexts during the Mesolithic and early Neolithic for the working of wood, plants or animal skin.La Universidad de Cantabria financió esta investigación a través de una beca y un contrato predoctorales concedidos a dos de los autores (D.C.S. e I.G.Z.). Manuel R. González Morales, Alejandro García Moreno y Juan Carlos López Quintana nos ayudaron en diversas cuestiones relacionadas con este trabajo

Shape and function of Tanki Flip shell, stone, coral and bone artefacts on comparative level

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CONSTRUCTING CARIBBEAN CHRONOLOGIES: COMPARATIVE RADIOCARBON DATING OF SHELL AND WOOD ARTEFACTS FROM PRE-COLUMBIAN SITES IN CUBA

The lack of robust chronological frameworks for pre-Columbian archaeology in the Caribbean limits the interpretive potential of ongoing studies of inter-site and inter-island interaction. This paper reviews the dating of 28 wood and shell artefacts from sites in northern Cuba in an attempt to date pre-Columbian activity in the region and develop dating methodologies for the study of pre-Columbian interaction in the Caribbean. This research compares dates from wood and shell artefacts from the waterlogged site of Los Buchillones in north-central Cuba with dates from shell artefacts from sites on eight islands in the Sabana-Camaguey archipelago in the Bahama Channel. In addition to providing a chronological framework based on absolute dates for pre-Columbian activity in northern Cuba, this paper also considers the methodological issues of using shell for dating pre-Columbian activity in the Caribbean