Santander, February 19th-22nd 2008 - Aranzadi

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RUTH MAICAS & AIXA VIDAL
Almizaraque and Rambla de Huéchar, where Siret
himself identified the abrasion of part of the spira to
make some kind of horns or trumpets. Moreover, he
also found some fragments cut out from the big gastropod
showing an important abrasion in their external
surface and tiny unidentified particles on both
surfaces. These cuts take advantage of the natural
curve of the mollusc shell, a technique that provides
both a small concavity and a flat area that facilitates
the addition of a handle to the object, making it a
sort of vessel or spoon. At the same time, this handle
area shows the undulated natural form of the
gastropod, which could be also useful as an imprecise
scraper. Moreover, some shell fragments that
present a small surface worked in a rounded form
perpendicular to the object axis may also have
functioned as burnishers in pottery decoration.
Finally, due to their natural morphology,
Scaphopoda specimens found in these prehistoric
sites may only be postulated as mollusc beads.
4. BEADS AND PENDANT WITH GEOMETRIC
PARAMETERS
The breaking and abrasion by sea phenomena
can form natural “beads”, such as the small
cupules from Conus. Most frequently, though, the
beads have experienced important transformations,
making it very difficult to recognize their original
forms. The modifications sometimes show
simple geometric patterns; thus, they could be
classified according to their appearances. In
Southeast Iberia, the most frequent shape of shell
materials is the discoidal bead, first analysed by
Siret (Maicas 2007: 24).
5. SUMMARY
Abrasion is the most frequent manufacturing
technique found in these assemblages. We observe
percussion and grooving too, as well as combinations
of different techniques in the same objects.
For the preparation of holes, the use of both flint
and metal drills can be identified, according to the
period. Marks of flint drills are easily recognized by
their conical shape and clear parallel striation.
Metal drills, on the other hand, produce rather cylindrical
profiles and plain walls (Barciela 2004: 562).
So far, the aesthetic value of these molluscs is
impossible to assess in prehistoric societies, but
colour was most probably important in this aspect
(for a different discussion of the role of colour in the
selection of raw materials, see Roberts 2008). It is
likely that the presence of a crackled transparent
substance over the surfaces -probably resinobserved
both on Glycymeris sp. and Conus
mediterraneus shells was related to the interest in
intensifying the original colour of the shell.
The time spent in manufacturing either an
ornament or any other non-utilitarian object is
important from a modern perspective, but it may
not be the same parameter for prehistoric societies,
making it difficult to evaluate their significance
in their original systemic contexts. Social identity
as a symbol, quality of handicraft, size, colour and
resource availability are some of the aspects that
may determine whether an object is accessible or
not. In this situation, molluscs directly recovered
and used without any intentional modification may
have been available for all the members of a community;
taxonomic selection, on the other hand,
may indicate a previously assigned value, which
determines the sense of gathering them. The presence
of sea molluscs frequent in inland sites
some 60km from the sea (30 out of 35 graves from
Alto Almanzora) suggests some kind of exchange
relationship. The differences in shell material percentages
between Neolithic and Chalcolithic
assemblages further show at least a change in the
social value of these items.
The concentration of Conus and Columbella
shells in Almizaraque suggests the existence of a
workshop, possibly with a production similar to those
in Egypt or the Near East. Since Siret’s first finding of
these workshops in Los Toyos (Siret and Siret 1890)
the reports of different manufacture loci have increased,
suggesting basically domestic and scarcely
specialized production (Pascual 2005: 284).
Among Southeastern Iberian organic artefacts,
shell was the most abundant material during
the Neolithic, although it continued to be significant
during the next period, especially in Millares’
graves. As the recovery of shell in coastal sites is
quite frequent and non-specific, it may have been
an easily accessible raw material for ornaments
and small utilitarian objects. Then, why is the percentage
of shell objects higher at Neolithic than at
Chalcolithic sites? Is it just a mirror of the increasing
social differentiation in Chalcolithic societies?
The existence of new and exotic materials had
probably devaluated the ornamental role of the
humble local shell; however, it seems to have
retained its importance for utilitarian uses.
Many authors have considered the social
value of adornments; the collections we discussed,
however, present the serious drawback of
lacking a detailed context of finding. Furthermore,
MUNIBE Suplemento - Gehigarria 31, 2010
S.C. Aranzadi. Z.E. Donostia/San Sebastián