All,
Here is the kind of article that could well be ignored by many, if only because of the frighteningly hard science mention of ‘strontium isotope dating’. But from the abstract alone, it seems to add weight to the “long distance origin of late UP dentalium shells” hypothesis which has had its detractors (i.e., those in favour of local Miocene fossil sources) in the literature (Sorry, but I can’t recall a pertinent reference, right now). Granted, the sample mentioned here is quite small and there no doubt that actual source dating and characterization of shells from other Magdalenian deposits will have to be undertaken in order to come up with a more comprehensive (regional) assessment of this particular artefactual occurrence.
Another point is with regards to the “shells [having been] collected by Late Upper Palaeolithic beadworkers on far away beaches”. Again, from the abstract alone, one can easily be misled into thinking that people from La Madeleine walked all the way to some distant sea shore in order to collects the obviously precious Dentalia. Possible, but not necessarily necessary (!). One should never forget variations of the “trade” theme.
Finally, I am a bit curious about the shells-needle size “incompatibility” argument. First, we really don’t know about the exact, full range of needle use or function and, second, one doesn’t need needles to string shell beads (including the ones made of Dentalium).
But then, I suppose I should wait for the actual article which can be read
HERE by subscribers.
Jacques Cinq-Mars
Vanhaeren, Marian, Francesco d'Errico, Isabelle Billy, and Francis Grousset. 2004. Tracing the source of Upper Palaeolithic shell beads by strontium isotope dating. Journal of Archaeological Science31(10): 1481-1488.
Abstract:
While the identification of the source of shells used as personal ornaments is crucial for determining home range and exchange networks of prehistoric hunter-gatherers, it is often difficult to identify the coastal versus fossil origin of the shells as most genera used as beads were available both at beaches and fossil outcrops. Here we present the first application of 87Sr/86Sr isotope dating to identify the origin of Upper Palaeolithic shell beads. We analysed four out of a collection of one thousand Dentalium shells associated to the La Madeleine child burial dated to 10,190±100 BP and one Dentalium from the occupation layers of this site. 87Sr/86Sr ratios indicate that shells were collected by Late Upper Palaeolithic beadworkers on far away beaches rather than at nearer Miocene outcrops. This may be due to the narrowness of Miocene Dentalium shells, incompatible with the size of bone needles used to sew these shell beads on clothes.
Author Keywords: Sr isotopes; Personal ornaments; Grave goods; Dentalium shell; Magdalenian; Azilian; Exchange networks
Copyright © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
