Notes on the shell and bone rings from Sharm

A group of thirteen fragmentary and complete shell and bone rings was excavated at Sharm, including one example likely to be a bracelet. The function of the objects as rings is undisputed. A number of the rings appear to be manufactured from Conus sp., whereas the remainder are apparently made from bone.     

Perforated shell and stone objects from Sharm

A group of six shell and four stone perforated objects is examined with a view to determining their function. Several possibilities are suggested as a result of a number of parallels in southeastern Arabia.     

Notes on four miscellaneous shell and organic objects from Sharm

Four miscellaneous artefacts, which do not correspond to the other major small finds groups, are also included in the Sharm assemblage. Whilst the gastropod shell is positively identified as Tonna luteostoma, the materials and function of the remaining objects are conjectural.     

Stone, paste, shell and metal beads from Sharm

Eighty-seven beads of various materials are discussed according to the twelve typological groups into which they are divided. This typology is largely based on bead shapes, although manufacturing techniques and materials are also discussed. The beads are also compared to other assemblages in southeastern Arabia.     

Decorated discs from Sharm

Eight discs, largely concavo-convex in shape and decorated with a symmetrical rosette pattern, were recovered from Tomb I during excavations. A similar undecorated concavo-convex disc was also found. The following paper presents the results of the typological examination of the objects, with the materials and manufacturing techniques published elsewhere in this volume. These discs are widely recognised in southeastern Arabia, with parallels suggesting a predominantly Iron Age date.     

Notes on two alabaster fragments from Sharm

Two alabaster objects were recovered from the excavations at Sharm, both having unusual shapes. The function of each piece is unknown, although it is suggested that they may have been blanks or cores for the manufacture of other alabaster items.     

Notes on a decorated spiny oyster from Sharm

S-305 is the worked remnant of one half of a spiny oyster which exhibits drill marks consistent with single and double dot-in-circle motifs. The object is briefly described with a view to determining its function. The manufacturing marks are analysed elsewhere in this volume by Katia Davis.     

Analytical examination of animal remains from Borneo: the painting of bone and shell

Examination of a selection of shell and bone from archaeological assemblages excavated at Niah Cave and Gua Sireh, both of which are located in Sarawak, Borneo, has revealed the deliberate application of coloured material to one or more surfaces. Small fragments of the surface colourant were analysed using a variety of techniques, including microscopy, energy dispersive microwave analysis and infra-red spectrophotometry. These procedures established that, although red in colour, the applied coating in each instance was not red iron oxide. It is suggested that, based on the chemical components present, this coating was a tree resin or a similar organic substance. The paper further reports the presence of enhanced chloride values in the colourant recovered from the ancient human cranial fragment tested. It is suggested that elevated concentrations of this trace element may indicate that the site, the human remains or ingredients within the colourant were once in close proximity to the sea.     

Wadi Suq and Iron Age period ceramics from Sharm, Fujairah (U.A.E.)

The Wadi Suq period and Iron Age ceramics from Sharm are examined in terms of morphological, compositional and decorative features. The assemblage is typical of the second- and first-millennium BC ceramics of southeastern Arabia. The more unusual Iron Age 'imitation soft stone' ceramics are amply represented and the Sharm assemblage considerably expands upon this corpus of ceramics which has hitherto been less than abundant in the region. Comparisons with other second- and first-millennium sites suggest the tombs were largely occupied in the late Wadi Suq period, a pattern of occupation which again peaked in the Iron Age II period.     

Healed bone fractures in a jomon skeletal population from the Yoshigo shell mound,Aichi Prefecture,Japan

Healed bone fractures were quantitatively analyzed in an ancient Japanese population. The sample studied consisted of the skeletal remains of 160 adult individuals from the Yoshigo shell mound (ca. BP 3400‐2400), Aichi prefecture, Japan. Healed fractures were diagnosed from the presence of callus formation and/or angular deformity. Fractures were frequently seen in small bones of the hand and foot such as the metacarpals, rather than in large long bones such as the clavicle, humerus, radius, ulna, femur, tibia and fibula. Of a total of 517 intact large long bones, only four fractures (0.8%) were recognized. The prevalence and pattern of bone fractures in the Yoshigo population reflects the relative lack of stress in their life‐style. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Archaeological evidence of intestinal parasites from coastal shell middens

Shell midden sediment from Canada's Pacific coast has yielded consistent and quantifiable evidence of human intestinal parasitism. Auger samples from pre-contact settlements have produced evidence of as many as four parasite genera, including fish tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium spp.) and human roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides). The methods of parasite extraction were non-complex, replicable and non-invasive. This project demonstrates the practicality of soil testing throughout a range of archaeological features and encourages the standard curation of culturally deposited soils for the purpose of archaeoparasite recovery.     

Worked and decorated shell discs from southern Arabia and the wider Near East

This article presents and discusses a corpus of worked and decorated shell discs from recently excavated archaeological sites in southern Arabia, including Dibba (northern Oman), Saruq al‐Hadid (UAE) and Sumhuram/Khor Rori (southern Oman). The artefacts are compared to a wide range of shell discs from controlled excavations in Arabia and the broader Near East in order to better understand their date, manufacture and use. The comparative study highlights the wide distribution of decorated shell discs across the ancient Near East, particularly during the early Iron Age, and the complex economic and cultural connections that underpinned the collection, crafting, exchange and significance of such items.     

An Upper Palaeolithic shell scraper from Ksar Akil (Lebanon)

The vast majority of Palaeolithic tools that survive in the archaeological record are lithics. Tools made of marine shell are rarely found in Western Eurasian contexts, regardless of the time period. This paper reports the discovery of a Glycymeris valve from the Upper Palaeolithic level of Ksar Akil (Lebanon), excavated in the 1940s and stored in a museum since then. The shell comes from level IX, whose lithic industry is attributed to the Levantine Aurignacian. Careful macroscopic and microscopic analysis revealed that the shell had been worked deliberately into a scraper-type tool. The shell was directly dated, at ～37 ka BP, an age much older than expected for its context, which was anticipated to be ～30 ka BP. This illustrates the potential problems relating to the AMS radiocarbon dating of bivalve shell material from the Levantine coast.