Personal Ornaments In Prehistory

This study (as part of our Master thesis) was concerned with the end of the Epipaleolithic of the Near East and particularly with the Natufian culture (13 100-9 600 BC cal.). The early period (13 100-11 000 BC cal.) of this latter marks a major change in human behavior that occurred during the Prehistory of the Southern Levant: the transition for these groups of hunter-gatherers from a nomadic lifestyle to a sedentary life and the emergence of new structures that involve modifications of the social organization, techniques, economic strategies and especially of the symbolic domain. The main objective of our study was to approach the technical system of these populations through one of the means of their symbolic expression: personal ornaments. For this approach to be as relevant as possible, we interested ourselves in a particular context, whose boundaries in time and space are determined: the burials. We indeed wanted to know what materials were chosen? According to what criteria? How and by whom were they obtained? How and by whom were they transformed? How were they worn? And especially what information could we generate on the organization of these societies? To address these issues we then studied two distinct sets of personal ornaments found in the burials of a child H28-32.1 (4-6 years old) and an adult H57a (20‐29 years of undetermined sex), from the earliest Natufian layers of Mugharet el-Wad. Each of these 964 ornament elements, so far never studied, has been individually studyed according to a methodological protocol common to all in order to determine their schema of acquisition, manufacture and use. Then it appears that the “schéma d’acquisition” of raw materials (long bone of medium/large ungulates; scaphopod shells from the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Pliocene formation; tibiotarsus of partridge; phalange of gazelle) is relatively complex and requires an investment (economic and human) relatively important, at the same time we learn that the selection of these materials falls within criteria of choice (among the available elements) well defined. The “schéma de fabrication” tells us about technical investment and skills that was required in the manufacture of each of these elements of ornament, as well as on the notion of “technical signature” or the aesthetic standardization of finished products. Finally the “schéma de fonctionnement” informs us about how these elements were tied and associated in composite arrangements and most importantly, on the duration, more or less long, of their use. Through this study it appears then that we can approach the social organization of the Natufian societies through the analysis of interactions between actors of the "schéma opératoire" of personal ornaments and the status of holders of these elements that open a field of reflection on concepts such as “craft specialization”, “capitalization”, or even the “social hierarchy” of these human groups.

Enlaced ornaments are intentionally and purposefully joined items, which generally do not occur together. The aim of the current research is to establish the meaning of such ornaments in Proosa graves, also who put them there and for whom were they intended. The combination dating to the Roman Iron Age consists of a neck ring with a round cross-section, and a spiral ring attached to it. The purpose of the ring in such a set could have been to decorate the neck ring, as the set can be worn like that and the decoration of both ornaments is similar. Symbolic meaning cannot be ignored either, where an adult’s ring has been added to a child’s neck ring (or the other way round).

The brooch and bracelet set of Proosa from early Iron Age suggests a symbolic function. It is usual of the enlaced ornament sets of that period that they could not be worn. A frequent combination included a penannular brooch with loose ends with a bracelet with loose ends – worn like that the ornaments would simply have fallen off. The phenomenon of uniting the items may refer to a certain social connection between the living and the dead. Some enlaced ornaments used in early Iron Age inhumation burials indicate family connections, when a child had adult items in the grave, may be a parent’s. Although Proosa’s enlaced ornament cannot be associated with a certain burial, it could nevertheless carry the same idea. In addition, the ornament is broken into two parts, which could be interpreted as „killing” an item, quite likely a part in general burial customs. One half of the combination may have remained with the living person and the other was placed in the grave, thus forming a notional whole and confirming links between the living and the departed.

L’elaboració d’aquesta tesi parteix de l’estudi de les estratègies de gestió i aprofitament de diverses matèries primeres que es duia a terme per a la producció d’ornaments personals en el si de les comunitats prehistòriques entre el VIé-IV mil·lenni ane al nord-est peninsular. D’una banda s’han establert els morfo-tipus ornamentals i les matèries primeres: malacofauna marina, os, banya, ullal, pedra, minerals varis, corall i granes; també s’han abordat els aspectes tecnològics de fabricació dels diferents ornaments i, finalment, a partir de l’anàlisi de traces d’ús i context arqueològic, s’estableix la funcionalitat final per tal l’elaborar unes pautes interpretatives a nivell sòcio-econòmic de la presència d’aquests ítems dins les comunitats del passat. La mostra estudiada procedeix dels següents jaciments arqueològics: Can Roqueta II (Sabadell, Barcelona), Can Roqueta/Can Revella (Sabadell, Barcelona), Can Filuà (Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Barcelona), Sant Pau del camp (Barcelona), La Gardunya (Barcelona), Roc del Migdia (Vilanova de Sau, Barcelona), Cova de les Ànimes (Matadepera, Barcelona), Bòbila Madurell (Sant Quirze del Vallès, Barcelona), Cova del Frare (Matadepera, Barcelona), Pla del riu de les Marcetes (Manresa, Barcelona), Pujolet de Moja (Vilafranca del Penedès, Barcelona), El Bordellet (Vilafranca del Penedès, Barcelona) Mas d’en Boixos (Pla del Penedès, Barcelona), Serra del Mas Bonet (Vilafant, Girona), La Draga (Banyoles, Girona), Feixa del Moro (Juberri, Andorra), Tomba del Segudet (Ordino, Andorra). L’estudi dels ornaments ens ha permès evidenciar alguns resultats en diversos àmbits: en el dels processos de transformació de les matèries primeres, tècniques i formes dels ornaments, on es poden distingir tradicions tècniques que podríem considerar comunes, i que podrien haver-se transmès entre els grups. S’identifiquen també tècniques pròpies i diferenciades, també morfo-tipus molt singulars en alguns jaciments, com si fossin una producció exclusiva. De fet, es constaten llocs de producció, com un taller de denes circulars i denes-penjoll al jaciment de La Draga. Hem vist com certs ornaments assenyalen contactes entre els grups, i, a partir d’un model inicial pre-figurat, es repliquen i s’imiten. Aquestes evidències, sumades a les matèries primeres i la tecnologia de producció, ens permeten veure les xarxes de circulació dels ornaments durant el neolític antic, que corresponen en gran mesura amb el litoral de la mediterrània. En alguns casos, la procedència seria el sud de Llevant, amb via d’entrada cap a l’interior de Catalunya seguint les ribes dels rius, especialment al neolític mitjà. Finalment, els ornaments com a elements socials, econòmics i simbòlics del neolític a Catalunya són identificadors de grups, però a l’hora de comunitats més amplies, amb una mateixa pertinença a un món cohesionat a nivell econòmic. D’altra banda, però, també hem vist que trobem singularitats en l’ornament personal (morfo-tipus diferenciats o matèries primeres diferenciades de la resta d’ornaments dins la mateixa comunitat d’individus), on s’escau també implementar per tant, el seu valor estètic. [-]

The Neolithic is an interesting phase for observing the changes in the material culture and ideology of prehistoric groups in Europe. In the area of costume in particular, the production of personal adornments increased and new types appeared. New kinds of adornment were frequently linked to new forms of costume expressing a particular social identity and hence new social messages. Indeed, social identities were often conveyed through the choice of specific raw materials and the use of characteristic personal ornaments, as well as through particular combinations and arrangements of such objects on the body and/or the dress. Unfortunately, adornment objects often do not receive the attention they deserve during excavations and have not yet been attributed their due relevance in prehistoric research. This paper explores such intriguing issues, focusing on the personal adornments of the Early and Middle Neolithic groups of the Po Plain in northern Italy dated between 5600 and 4300 cal. BC. It offers an analysis of the ornaments based on a long-term perspective in order to identify the more significant components of the Po Plain Neolithic costume and their variation over time among the Neolithic groups. The study therefore examines the typology of ornaments, their spreading and the variability of the raw materials as indicators of the existence of spheres of interaction in the field of personal adornments.

Las excavaciones arqueológicas recientes llevadas a cabo en diferentes yacimientos del SW de Europa con niveles adscritos al Gravetiense (por ejemplo, La Garma A y Fuente del Salín, en la región cantábrica, y Nerja y Cendres en la fachada mediterránea), han proporcionado un gran número de objetos de adorno-colgantes realizados en diferentes materias primas, principalmente en conchas marinas, pero también en otras como dientes, huesos y minerales.
En esta comunicación se sintetiza la información disponible sobre los objetos de adorno documentados en el Gravetiense en la península ibérica teniendo en cuenta diferentes aspectos
(arqueozoológicos, taxonómicos, tecnológicos, etc.). También se reflexiona sobre el papel que desempañaron dichos objetos en los grupos de cazadores-recolectores en el resto del territorio
europeo durante el Gravetiense.

Rituale sind eine besondere Form gemeinschaftlichen Handelns, die in nahezu allen Lebensbereichen und kulturellen Kontexten vorkommt. Sie spielen eine wichtige Rolle bei der Identitätskonstruktion in Menschengruppen. Oft geht mit ihnen ein überhöhter Symbolcharakter und ein beträchtlicher Ressourcenaufwand einher. Aus einer evolutionären Sicht stellt sich die Frage nach den Ursprüngen dieses eigentümlichen Verhaltens in der steinzeitlichen Vergangenheit unserer Spezies. In diesem Beitrag wird der aktuelle Forschungsstand in der paläolithischen Archäologie diskutiert, der sich auf die ältesten bekannten materiellen Hinterlassenschaften bezieht, welche als Anzeiger für die kognitive Fähigkeit zur symbolisch-rituellen Kommunikation gedeutet werden können. Demnach ist symbolisch-rituelles Handeln in Gemeinschaft eine menschliche Universalie, die eine tiefe evolutionäre Vergangenheit hat, in Ansätzen auch bei anderen Homininen vorkam und dessen Spuren bis weit vor die Entstehung unserer eigenen Spezies zurückverfolgt werden können.

The Bronze Age Maros culture, widespread in the southern parts of the Carpathian basin, is characterised by rich and diverse material culture, recovered from settlements and from necropoles. Some of the burials of the Maros culture contained rich funerary equipment, that encompassed ceramic vessels, bronze weapons, bronze and gold jewellery, as well as ornaments made from osseous raw materials. One of the necropoles that yielded interesting finds of bone ornaments was discovered at the site of Ostojićevo, situated in the Banat region in north-eastern Serbia. This necropolis contained graves belonging to the Early and Middle Bronze Age; out of 285 graves, 77 were attributed to the Maros culture. Osseous ornaments recovered from these graves were made from diverse raw materials, bones, teeth and mollusc shells. The typological repertoire includes pendants, beads, decorative pins, and applications. Their typological and technological traits, as well traces of use will be analysed highlighting their overall importance and symbolic role for the Maros culture communities.

The emergence of farming societies in the Mediterranean area (IX-VI millennium BC) coincides with an increase in the presence of ornamental objects in the archaeological record. The cultural complexity of personal ornaments also increased in terms of quantity, technology, raw materials, and aesthetics during the Early Neolithic. Stone bracelets are one of the most important cultural elements associated with the first Neolithic societies in much of the Mediterranean. The technological complexity of bracelet production highlights the beginnings of craft specialization, and the social organisation that underlies it. Their abundance, manufacturing complexity, and raw materials have become a reference point for studying the socioeconomic relationships of the first farming societies. This paper presents an overview of stone bracelets in the Neolithic societies in the Mediterranean. We will compare similarities and differences of stone bracelets in different geographical areas across the r...

ÖZET
Neolitik Dönem’in boncuk, pendant ve bilezik gibi kişisel süs eşyaları şimdiye dek çok az araştırılmış bir konudur. Son yıllarda yapılan çalışmalar, süs eşyalarının nasıl kullanıldığını, neyden ve nasıl yapıldıklarını ve Neolitik yaşamın diğer yönleri ile nasıl ilişkili olduklarını ortaya çıkartmaya başlamıştır. Tipoloji ve kronolojiye dair temel sorunların yanı sıra, süs eşyaları hakkında artan bilginin bir sonucu olarak yeni sorular da doğmuştur. Örnek olarak; üretimin nasıl organize edildiği, uzmanlaşma derecesi, boncukların işlevi ve anlamı, bunların süs eşyası mı yoksa bunlarla bağlantılı olanlar arasında belli mesajları mı ilettikleri verilebilir. Bu makalede, Neolitik dönem süs eşyalarının gizemli dünyasına dair yeni araştırmalar ele alınacaktır. Burada ele alınacak temel sorunların kapsamını, tipolojik ve kronolojik eğilimler ve bunların nasıl yorumlanabileceği, Neolitik teknoloji ve kimlik hakkında bize ne söyleyebileceği ve bu ortaya çıkan yeni soruların gelecek araştırmalarda nasıl yanıtlanabileceği oluşturmaktadır. Sonuç olarak da bu makalede kişisel süs eşyalarının, prehistorik dönemde insanların kendilerini nasıl algıladıkları ve diğerleriyle nasıl ilişki kurdukları konusunda bize ne söyledikleri irdelenecektir.
ABSTRACT
For a long time the personal ornaments, beads, pendants and bracelets, of the Neolithic period remained little researched. Recent work has begun to reveal how ornaments were used, what they were made from, how they were made and how they related to other aspects of Neolithic life. In addition to fundamental questions about typology and chronology, new questions have arisen as a result of the increase in knowledge about ornaments. For example, how production was organised and the degree to which it was specialized, as well as the meaning and purpose of beads, whether they were ornamental, or transmitted messages to those that came in contact with them. This article considers the current state of research into the enigmatic world of Neolithic ornaments, typological and chronological trends, how they can be interpreted, what they can tell us about Neolithic technology and identity and how remaining questions might be answered in future research. In its conclusions the article considers what personal ornaments can tell us about how people in prehistory perceived themselves and their relationships to others.

in R. Graells i Fabregat / P. Camacho Rodríguez / A.J. Lorrio (Coords.), Problemas de cultura material. Ornamentos y elementos del vestuario en el arco litoral Mediterráneo-Atlántico de la península Ibérica durante la Edad del Hierro (ss. X-V a.C.)

English Abstract: Based on the current state of research, the earliest personal ornaments come from archaeological layers dated between 130 and 70 ka. They originate from Middle Paleolithic and Middle Stone Age sites located at great distances from each other in Northern Africa, the Levant and South Africa. There is wide acceptance among researchers that these finds were produced intentionally and are associated with early Homo sapiens. They appear as perforated shell beads sometimes colored with red ochre. Specific traces of usewear often indicate that they were strung and worn on the body or on clothing. This paper discusses empirical evidence for the intentional use of personal ornaments by early Homo sapiens and interprets the finds in the context of theoretical reflections on symbolic communication. The analysis draws on a combination of theories from cultural anthropology, evolutionary biology and cognitive science, concluding with the position that an expansion of human cognitive capacities to communicate symbolically probably occurred in Homo sapiens during the Middle Stone Age in Southern Africa, as well as the Middle Paleolithic of Northern Africa and the Levant.

Deutsche Zusammenfassung: Nach derzeitigem Forschungsstand stammt der älteste persönliche Schmuck der Menschheit aus archäologischen Fundschichten, die ca. 130.000 bis 70.000 Jahre alt sind. Es handelt sich dabei um Fundstellen des Mittelpaläolithikums (MP) in Nordafrika und der Levante sowie des Middle Stone Age (MSA) in Südafrika, zwischen denen große geographische Entfernungen liegen. Die Schmuck-funde werden in der archäologischen Forschung von den meisten Wissenschaftlern als intentional her-gestellt akzeptiert und mit dem frühen Homo sapiens assoziiert. Es handelt sich dabei um durchlochte und zum Teil mit rotem Ocker eingefärbte marine Schneckengehäuse. Spezifische Abnutzungsspuren weisen oft auf eine Auffädelung und das Tragen an Körper oder Kleidung hin. In diesem Beitrag werden zunächst die wichtigsten empirischen Belege für die Nutzung persönlichen Schmucks durch den frühen Homo sapiens hinsichtlich ihrer Authentizität diskutiert. Im Anschluss folgt eine Interpretation der Funde im Kontext theoretischer Überlegungen zur symbolischen Kommunikation. Dabei greife ich auf eine Kombination aus kulturwissenschaftlichen, evolutionsbiologischen und kognitionswissenschaftli-chen Modellen zurück. Auf diese Weise lässt sich im Verlauf des MSA in Südafrika bzw. des MP in Nord-afrika und der Levante eine Erweiterung kognitiver Kapazitäten bei Homo sapiens in der Fähigkeit zur symbolischen Kommunikation wahrscheinlich machen.

The Maros (Moriš) culture of the Early Bronze Age was widespread in the southern Carpathian basin, around the confluence of Tisza (Tisa) and Maros (Moriš) rivers. In Serbian part of Banat, two large cemeteries were excavated in the 20th century: Ostojićevo and Mokrin. The burials were usually equipped with diverse grave goods: ceramic vessels, metal jewellery, metal weapons, and also relatively large amount of ornaments made from osseous raw materials were discovered.
Osseous raw materials were very diverse; they included bones, antler segments, teeth and mollusc shells from several species, possibly both fossil and fresh. Strict raw material choices for specific artefact types can be noted: small ruminant metapodial bones for beads, while perforated teeth were almost exclusively dog canines, with rare occurrences of red deer canines or horse or cattle teeth. Despite common presumption that the metal ornaments had greater value because of the raw material, and that the osseous ornaments were simply „cheap substitutes“, these two necropoles prove otherwise. These ornaments display long use, sometimes were even repaired, suggesting they were valued and perhaps even had some symbolic significance. Use of mollusc shells in different stages of preservation, some even heavily damaged and fragmented, as well as presence of copies of pendants in white stones, suggest that the osseous ornaments had the value of their own right, related to their physical properties, in particular shiny, white colour, and/or for the attributes ascribed to the animals from which they derived.

Mollusc shells have been used for the production of ornaments since the Palaeolithic times. Some of the world's oldest decorative items were, in fact, made from shells. Their smooth surfaces, durability and bright colours, were some of the reasons why they were aesthetically attractive to numerous prehistoric communities. Ornaments made from shell often had symbolic value-they were used to display status, prestige, belonging to a group, and may be used as indicators for trade and exchange routes. However, although they were in use in the prehistoric period, they have received less attention from researchers studying periods after the Neolithic. This paper will provide an overview on the use of shells for ornaments in the Bronze Age Maros culture in the southern Carpathian basin. They have so far been analysed only within the context of burial equipment and their relation to other jewellery items, mainly metal objects. However, they may provide an additional insight into some of the symbolic aspects, cultural attitudes towards certain raw materials, as well some aspects of trade and exchange.

The object of this thesis is to study and analyze the shell assemblages from four settlements of the Thermaic Gulf: Paliambela Kolindros, Makriyalos Pieria, Archontiko Giannitsa, and Toumba Thessaloniki. The aim was to explore the patterns of molluscan and shell consumption during the Neolithic and the Bronze Age in Central Macedonia. The study adopts a new approach that focuses on the concept of shell biography with the aim to draw away from the traditional approaches to molluscs and to discuss gathering, consumption and refuse as social practices with specific structure and meaning in each case. The methodological tools of the analysis are: macroscopic and microscopic study of each shell (identifications, quantification, size recording, human or natural modifications, etc), study of taphonomy, interpretative classification of species, and contextual analysis of finds in various spatial and chronological scales. In total, 909,009 shells from the four settlements were studied and 51,338 shells from eleven other settlements in the area were re-evaluated. According to the evidence, gathering of molluscs was a specialized and successful economical activity, integrated with the other productive activities in most of the cases. The consumption of molluscs as food was widespread throughout the Neolithic and Bronze Age; this practice had particular characteristics, such as the selection of mainly one species (Cerastoderma glaucum) from the great variety offered by the natural environment. Meanwhile, a small part of the food remnants was recycled for ornament manufacture and was used in every context, domestic or communal. From the Middle Bronze Age onwards, molluscs were also used for the production of purple-dye. These common choices in food and ornament consumption practices were conscious, and thus they constituted one of the several ways that people used to show their identity. However, there is also great diversity in consumption practices in time and in space in response partially to local environmental conditions and partially to the specific socio-economical practices of each community that underlines the dynamic role of human agency.

The shell artefact assemblage of Çatalhöyük is one of the richest unearthed in Anatolia, even taking into account the large scale of excavations, thus demonstrating their importance in the lives of the Neolithic people. Previous research has recognised the great potential of shell artefacts at Çatalhöyük, in particular shell ornaments, in discussing issues of technology and trade, social and individual identities, and ritual and symbolism (Hamilton 1996; Reese 2005; Bar-Yosef Mayer 2013; Bains et al. 2013; Vasić et al. 2014).
The results from the study of 1,300 shell artefacts from the 2009–2017 excavations are presented here.....

Ornaments are polysemic objects due to different meanings they convey in human societies—self-embellishment, means of exchange, markers of age and gender, indicators of social status, signs of power, non-verbal means of expression and communication. Beads have a privileged place in shedding light on the origins of modern cognition in human societies. While archaeological approaches to ancient symbolism have often been concerned with behavioral modernity of our species, anthropological studies have underlined the role of ornaments in the construction
of personhood, identity, and social networks in traditional societies.

Exploring an approach informed by anthropological and ethnographic theory, we discuss Paleolithic and Mesolithic bodily adornments found across southeastern Europe. We present a review of the evidence for long-term regional and diachronic differences and similarities in types of body adornment among prehistoric foragers of the region. Here we look at aspects of cultural transmission and transferability over time. This enables us to reconstruct a series of gestures involved in ornament manufacture and use, and to examine transmissions of technological know-hows, shifting aesthetic values, and demands for specific local and non-local materials, including marine shells transferred across this region over long distances (>400km). This evidence is further discussed by, on the one hand, taking a perspective that draws on emic understandings of ornaments in certain ethnographic contexts and, on the other hand, through a rethinking of the relevance of the structural anthropological mode of analysis championed by Lévi-Strauss.

The paper presents the adornment objects of the Recent and the Late Neolithic of the Northern Italy dated approximately between 4500 and 3800 cal. BC, focusing on those of the Chassey or Chassey-Lagozza groups. Unfortunately, this objects are rare and the common types are not so characteristics since the widespread ornaments count perforated shells, bones and some teeth, some Dentalium and steatite beads and pendants. It is possible that the ornaments were not so important for the Italian groups of the Chassey culture as they were for other Neolithic groups of the Italian Peninsula; the absence of ornaments could depend that they had personal ornaments made of organic materials not preserved or that they used other ways of adornment as for example tattoos o body paintings. To understand this phenomenon, the paper offers a brief outline of the adornment objects of communities related to the Italian Chassey groups: the Square Mouthed Pottery of the Italian Padan-alpine region, the Chamblandes group of western Switzerland and the southern Chassey of South France.
L’articolo presenta gli ornamenti del Neolitico recente dell’Italia settentrionale riferibili ai gruppi Chassey o Chassey-Lagozza e databili tra il 4500 e il 3800 BC circa. Sfortunatamente, gli ornamenti sono rari ed essi non sono molto caratteristici dal momento che i tipi più comuni annoverano conchiglie, ossa e denti forati, qualche Dentalium ed elementi in steatite tra i quali vi sono pendagli e vaghi di collana. È possibile che le parures non fossero oggetti molto importanti per le genti Chassey come invece lo erano per altri gruppi neolitici della Penisola italiana; ma è anche possibile che venissero impiegati ornamenti in materie organiche non preservate o che altre forme di adorno venissero usate come ad esempio i tatuaggi o le pitture corporali. Per comprendere questo fenomeno, l’articolo prende brevemente in considerazione anche gli ornamenti personali di altre comunità neolitiche in relazione con i gruppi Chassey italiani: i Vasi a Bocca Quadrata della regione padano-alpina, il gruppo Chamblandes della Svizzera occidentale e il Chasseano meridionale della Francia meridionale.

The Late Upper Palaeolithic (Epigravettian) sequence at Badanj has yielded an important dataset about the occupation of the hinterland of the Eastern Adriatic catchment zone in the late Pleniglacial. The site also harbors one of the rare occurrences of Upper Palaeolithic parietal "art" in southeastern Europe in the form of a large rock engraving. Another notable aspect of the site is the presence of engravings on portable objects made from bone. The rst excavations at Badanj, conducted in 1976-1979 in the zone around the engraved rock, yielded a surprisingly large number of personal ornaments (over 1000 specimens) from a variety of primarily marine gastropods, scaphopods, and bivalves, and red deer canines. Here we review what is currently known about the site and report our preliminary ndings from the study of the collection of personal ornaments as well as osseous tools, some of which were marked by regular incisions forming decorative motifs. We also report two new direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates on antler barbed points.

In alcune delle sepolture pertinenti alla cultura dei Vasi a Bocca Quadrata (V millennio BC) si trovano oggetti d’ornamento, il cui studio si presta in modo particolare ad indagare i diversi livelli dell’identità culturale VBQ, ma anche delle specificità regionali nell’arco dell’Italia settentrionale e della rappresentazione dei ruoli sociali e delle identità personali all’interno delle comunità. Il campione più significativo è quello disponibile per la pianura emiliana, costituito da ca 230 sepolture studiate, che contengono monili nel 10% dei casi, riferibili in forte prevalenza ad individui femminili. Tale campione consente un’analisi di dettaglio sulla scelta dei materiali (pietra, osso, conchiglie fossili e attuali), le forme dei monili, le modalità di deposizione nella sepoltura e la loro associazione coi dati antropologici relativi al sesso e all’età degli individui. Il confronto con i manufatti rinvenuti negli abitati della stessa area indica la parziale aderenza dell’uso funerario al costume dei viventi.

Since the 1990s, archaeological publications concerned with Palaeolithic personal ornaments have diversified. This proliferation has resulted in an intense exploration
of the multiple roles, whether symbolic, cultural or social, that these items might have played in prehistoric groups. As a result of this process, there is now a broad consensus that these body adornments are important for exploring the origins of cognitive, artistic and symbolic behavior from an evolutionary perspective. This view contrasts with the conceptualization of Palaeolithic ornaments prevalent during the greater part of the twentieth century. At that time, these objects were rarely considered in debates
concerning human evolution, art and symbolism. To explain this shift in the understanding of beads, pendants and other similar artifacts, we explore in this paper the history and the epistemology of the concept of ‘ornament’ in the field of Palaeolithic archaeology. In particular, we analyse the factors underlying why the same kinds of objects have been historically described in very diverse ways. We conclude by pointing out some of the epistemological challenges posed by the current revalorization of personal ornaments.
Keywords Personal ornaments . Symbolism. Portable art . Technology

The doctoral dissertation „From individuality to regionality in the distribution area of tarand cemeteries in the Roman Iron Age“ explores the affiliation of people who lived in the distribution area of tarand cemeteries and used those cemeteries in the Roman Iron Age (ca first four centuries AD) on the individual, communal and regional levels. Tarand cemeteries are monumental communal stone burial places where burials and artefacts are commingled, fragmented and thus identifying single burials is difficult. The individual level was distinguished based on the presence of bone clusters that could refer to individual episodes in the burial of the deceased, which distinguished them from others buried in the cemetery. The ones buried into tarand cemeteries probably belonged to the higher strata of the society because they were buried into the monumental cemeteries, often with elaborate grave goods during time-consuming and multi-stage rituals. In Viimsi I cemetery a correlation of male individuals and crossbow brooches was present; thus, some social groups could have worn specific ornaments. Also, bones of the deceased and grave goods were often deposited to a specific area in the cemetery. The fixed spatial arrangement refers to established patterns of practices maintained over centuries. Burying to tarand cemeteries was a part of the collective identity of the community. On a regional level, it was distinguished that different ornaments were preferred in specific regions. Wearing those ornaments may have been important to differ from other regional groups. The ornaments also could have held different social meanings when used in a specific context. Local culture was influenced by long-distance contacts with southern areas, especially with the eastern and south-eastern coastal areas of the Baltic Sea. Since the third century, connections with Eastern Europe rose as well. Selected new forms of ornaments were adopted into the regional culture, new versions were created and developed according to the local context.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Boncuklar • Deniz Kabukları • Taş • Levant • Kültürel Bağlantılar Özet: Bireysel takı ve süs eşyaları, Epi-paleolitik Dönem ile birlikte karakteristik buluntu şeklini almaya başlamıştır. Levant Epi-paleolitiği sürecinde deniz kabukları çok sayıda ve yaygın olarak kullanılmış olup, bulunmuş oldukları kıyılardan çok daha uzak mesafelere taşınmışlardır. Aynı dönemde, taş boncuklar da yaygınlaşıp farklı form ve renklerde görülmeye başlarlar. Türkiye'nin Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi'nde ki Kahramanmaraş ilinde bulunan Direkli Mağarası'ndan gelen yeni bulgular gösteriyor ki, Levant Bölge-si'nde olduğu gibi burada da Epi-paleolitik Dönem'de deniz kabukları ve taşlar boncuk yapımında kulla-nılmıştır. Bu makale, Direkli Mağarası'ndan gelen yeni bulguları boncuk kullanımı ekseninde tartışmakta-dır. Ayrıca, kazı çalışmaları sonucunda yerleşmede bulunan boncukların sunumu ve söz konusu buluntu grubunun Levant ve Orta Anadolu gibi yakın çevrede ele geçen ve süs eşyası olarak tanımlanan diğer bu-luntular ile olan ilişkilerini de değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Sonuç olarak bu çalışma, Direkli Mağarası buluntularının geniş bir alanda Epi-paleolitik Dönem süs eşyası kullanım pratiklerine uygunluğunu gös-termektedir.

Abstract: Personal ornaments have become one of the characteristic artefact types associated with the Epipalaeolithic period. In the Levant marine shell beads were commonly used in large numbers in the Epipalaeolithic and transported long distances from their coastal sources. Stone beads also became more common in this period and different forms and colours were employed. New evidence from Direkli Cave in Kahramanmaraş province, southeast Turkey, shows that, as in the Levantine examples, marine shells and stone were used to make beads in the Epipalaeolithic period. This article discusses the new evidence of bead use from Direkli Cave. In addition to presenting the bead assemblage from the site it also considers the relationship of these ornaments to those that have been recovered in adjacent regions, taking into account evidence from the Levant and Central Anatolia. In conclusion the article considers how the Di-rekli assemblage fits into a wider regional perspective on Epipalaeolithic ornamentation practices.

The extensive use of mollusc shell as a versatile raw material is testament to its importance in prehistoric times. The consistent choice of certain species for different purposes, including the making of ornaments, is a direct representation of how humans viewed and exploited their environment. The necessary taxonomic information, however, is often impossible to obtain from objects that are small, heavily worked or degraded. Here we propose a novel biogeochemical approach to track the biological origin of prehistoric mollusc shell. We conducted an in-depth study of archaeological ornaments using microstructural, geochemical and biomolecular analyses, including ‘palaeoshellomics’, the first application of palaeoproteomics to mollusc shells (and indeed to any invertebrate calcified tissue). We reveal the consistent use of locally-sourced freshwater mother-of-pearl for the standardized manufacture of ‘double-buttons’. This craft is found throughout Europe between 4200–3800 BCE, highli...

The interlocking of the maritime basin network that took place with the development of the
Maritime Silk Roads by the late first millennium bc led to major cultural transfers. This
research investigates Southeast Asia’s cultural integration and takes into consideration
what I call a South China Sea network culture, a result of long-established and extensive
connectivity of its populations. The assumption is that this cultural matrix also laid the
ground for socio-political practices hypothesized to be at the core of identity building and
cultural transfers. These issues are investigated through the technological analysis of hybrid
ornament industries in a recently excavated early city-port of the South China Sea which
developed with the Maritime Silk Roads that thrived from the fourth to the first centuries
bc. This enclosed cosmopolitan settlement hosting populations from various Asian horizons
was structured by socio-professional quarters. This node concentrated various craft centres
where artisans of different origins made culturally hybrid products with what were then
the most advanced technologies. The chronological sequence allows characterization of the
evolution of these industries along with the socio-political strategies which they may have
served and how otherness was handled in the construction of social identity.

Cette présentation a comme objectif une vision actualisée de l'usage de la callaïs/variscite comme matière première pour la fabrication des éléments de parures. On y expose ainsi les principales morphologies, les techniques de fabrication utilisées, ainsi que les contextes d'utilisation (sépultures, etc.) de manière générale dans les différents espaces géographiques de l'est de la péninsule Ibérique (principalement la Catalogne et le Pays Valencien). Cette analyse vise également à établir l'utilisation de ces éléments de parure en fonction des différentes phases chronologiques, sur l'ensemble de la période néolithique (5600-3500 cal BC). Ceci est d'autant plus important que les hypothèses générales proposent un usage très différencié, avec une utilisation préférentielle lors du Néolithique moyen (culture des Sepulcres de Fossa). Cette présentation vise également à soulever une discussion sur la nature des systèmes proposés pour les réseaux d'échange dans l'aire géographique choisie pour ce type de matériaux/objets finis. Mots-clés : Néolithique, variscite, parure, échanges, péninsule Ibérique. Abstract. The aim of this paper is to show an updated view of the use of variscite as a raw material for the manufacture of personal ornaments. This research exposes the main morphologies, manufacturing techniques used and contexts of use (grave goods, secondary deposits, etc.) recovered from different geographical areas of the eastern Iberian peninsula (mainly Catalonia and Valencia). This analysis also seeks to establish a sequence based on the chronological phases in different regions of the Neolithic period (5600-3500 BC). This aspect is particularly important because previous hypotheses propose different uses especially within the middle Neolithic phase (culture of Sepulcres de Fossa). This presentation would also encourage a discussion about the nature of exchange systems in the geographical area chosen for this type of raw material / finished objects.

Recent ethnographic and archaeological studies on childhood in hunter-gatherer societies have provided a comprehensive methodological framework for understanding how infants and children socially engage and integrate into their social and material environments during stages of childhood, and how these processes relate to the attribution of personhood. Material culture plays a prominent role in marking the personhood of individuals, as well as constructing and signifying their identities. Personal adornment, in particular, divides and unifies individuals and groups. Different kinds of materials, forms, colours, and technologies embedded within the production and use processes of personal adornment relate to a multitude of meanings. Both the composite item of personal adornment, as well as each element that constitutes it, signifies a different culturally codified message. In archaeological contexts, we can attempt to disentangle these relations from their reflections in funerary rituals and grave goods. Burial records stretching back to the Upper Palaeolithic suggest that certain individuals, including sub-adults, were buried with elaborate types of personal adornment. In Southwest Asia, this practice endured and diversified throughout the longue durée period of transition to sedentism. The transition to year-long sedentism in larger settlements during the early Neolithic Period brought greater investment towards place-making and created new social ties and identities. The Neolithic site of Aşıklı Höyük (8350-7350 cal BCE) in central Anatolia (Turkey) is one of the key sites where we can track this process. Through a comparison of the adorned and unadorned child burials as well as adults at the site, in this paper, I will discuss the personhood of children at Aşıklı Höyük, and their relational identities, centring around the core hypothesis that some children were attributed personhood that was signalled through shared elements of personal adornment with adults.