A systematic review of animal predation creating pierced shells: implications for the archaeological record of the Old World.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The shells of molluscs survive well in many sedimentary contexts and yield information about the diet of prehistoric humans. They also yield evidence of symbolic behaviours through their use as beads for body adornments. Researchers often analyse the location of perforations in shells to make judgements about their use as symbolic objects (e.g., beads), the assumption being that holes attributable to deliberate human behaviour are more likely to exhibit low variability in their anatomical locations, while holes attributable to natural processes yield more random perforations. However, there are non-anthropogenic factors that can cause perforations in shells and these may not be random. The aim of the study is compare the variation in holes in shells from archaeological s

SUBMITTER: Kubicka AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5244880 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature