Shell beads as markers of Oceanic dispersal: A rare Cypraeidae ornament type from the Mariana Islands

Geoffrey Clark; Michelle C. Langley; Mirani Litster; Olaf Winter; Judith R. Amesbury

doi:10.4324/9781315299112

Shell beads as markers of Oceanic dispersal: A rare Cypraeidae ornament type from the Mariana Islands

Geoffrey Clark, Michelle C. Langley, Mirani Litster, Olaf Winter, Judith R. Amesbury

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We present experimental and micro-trace evidence for an unusual Cypraeidae bead type associated with the earliest cultural deposits of the Bapot-1 site in the Marianas Islands in Western Micronesia. Results show that these ground-section cowry beads were strung together while worked dorsum found at this same site were used as pendants/lids. The probable occurrence of ground-section beads on Tikopia island ~4000 km from the Marianas suggests that these distinctive shell artefacts can assist archaeological understanding of early Oceanic dispersals and interaction among different colonising Neolithic groups in the Indo-Pacific.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	The Archaeology of Portable Art
Subtitle of host publication	Southeast Asian, Pacific, and Australian Perspectives
Publisher	Taylor and Francis
Pages	142-161
Number of pages	20
ISBN (Electronic)	9781315299105
ISBN (Print)	9781138237766
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315299112
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2018

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title = "Shell beads as markers of Oceanic dispersal: A rare Cypraeidae ornament type from the Mariana Islands",

abstract = "We present experimental and micro-trace evidence for an unusual Cypraeidae bead type associated with the earliest cultural deposits of the Bapot-1 site in the Marianas Islands in Western Micronesia. Results show that these ground-section cowry beads were strung together while worked dorsum found at this same site were used as pendants/lids. The probable occurrence of ground-section beads on Tikopia island ~4000 km from the Marianas suggests that these distinctive shell artefacts can assist archaeological understanding of early Oceanic dispersals and interaction among different colonising Neolithic groups in the Indo-Pacific.",

author = "Geoffrey Clark and Langley, {Michelle C.} and Mirani Litster and Olaf Winter and Amesbury, {Judith R.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 selection and editorial matter, Michelle C. Langley, Mirani Litster, Duncan Wright and Sally K. May.",

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Shell beads as markers of Oceanic dispersal: A rare Cypraeidae ornament type from the Mariana Islands. / Clark, Geoffrey; Langley, Michelle C.; Litster, Mirani et al.
The Archaeology of Portable Art: Southeast Asian, Pacific, and Australian Perspectives. Taylor and Francis, 2018. p. 142-161.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

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Shell beads as markers of Oceanic dispersal: A rare Cypraeidae ornament type from the Mariana Islands

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