Provenance analysis of Olivella biplicata shell beads from the California and Oregon Coast by stable isotope fingerprinting |
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| Institution: | 2. School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, UK;1. Department of Geography & Environment, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Elphinstone Road, Aberdeen AB24 3UF, UK;2. Cambridge Archaeological Unit, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, 34A Storeys Way, Cambridge, CB3 ODT, UK;3. Early Mines Research Group, Ashtree Cottage, 19, The High Street, Fen Ditton, Cambridgeshire CB5 8ST, UK;4. Departamento de Edafología y Química Agrícola, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Santiago, Campus Sur, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain;5. School of Science and Technology, University of Northampton, Newton Building, Northampton NN2 6JD, UK;6. Department of Geography, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
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| Abstract: | While Olivella beads are a common component of archaeological sites in California, and were widely traded in prehistory, no method has been developed to trace individual beads to a point of origin. This study examines the potential of stable carbon and oxygen isotopes to source Olivella beads from the Pacific coast. The study shows that 1) the oxygen isotopic composition of modern Olivella biplicata shells faithfully varies with ambient sea surface temperature and local upwelling, lending themselves to sourcing studies; 2) oxygen isotope ratios in modern shells can be used to identify shells that grow north versus south of Point Conception, California; and 3) shell carbon isotope ratios may further subdivide these two regions into more spatially restricted source zones. Analyses on a small sample of 10 beads found at various archaeological sites within the interior of California suggest that all were made in southern California. |
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