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:10.4324/9781315299112-10

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

6 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
Editors	Michelle C. Langley, Mirani Litster, Duncan Wright, Sally K. May
Place of Publication	Oxon, UK
Publisher	Routledge Curzon
Chapter	10
Pages	142-161
Number of pages	20
ISBN (Electronic)	978-1-315-29911-2
ISBN (Print)	978-1-138-23776-6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315299112-10
Publication status	Published - 2018
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Social sciences
Material culture
Archaeology and art

Access to Document

10.4324/9781315299112-10Licence: In Copyright

Cite this

Clark, G., Langley, M. C., Litster, M., Winter, O., & Amesbury, J. R. (2018). Shell beads as markers of Oceanic dispersal: A rare Cypraeidae ornament type from the Mariana Islands. In M. C. Langley, M. Litster, D. Wright, & S. K. May (Eds.), The Archaeology of Portable Art: Southeast Asian, Pacific, and Australian Perspectives (pp. 142-161). Routledge Curzon. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315299112-10

Clark, Geoffrey ; Langley, Michelle C. ; Litster, Mirani et al. / Shell beads as markers of Oceanic dispersal : A rare Cypraeidae ornament type from the Mariana Islands. The Archaeology of Portable Art: Southeast Asian, Pacific, and Australian Perspectives. editor / Michelle C. Langley ; Mirani Litster ; Duncan Wright ; Sally K. May. Oxon, UK : Routledge Curzon, 2018. pp. 142-161

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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.",

keywords = "Social sciences, Material culture, Archaeology and art",

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

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Clark, G, Langley, MC, Litster, M, Winter, O & Amesbury, JR 2018, Shell beads as markers of Oceanic dispersal: A rare Cypraeidae ornament type from the Mariana Islands. in MC Langley, M Litster, D Wright & SK May (eds), The Archaeology of Portable Art: Southeast Asian, Pacific, and Australian Perspectives. Routledge Curzon, Oxon, UK, pp. 142-161. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315299112-10

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. ed. / Michelle C. Langley; Mirani Litster; Duncan Wright; Sally K. May. Oxon, UK: Routledge Curzon, 2018. p. 142-161.

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

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AB - 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.

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EP - 161

BT - The Archaeology of Portable Art

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Clark G, Langley MC, Litster M, Winter O, Amesbury JR. Shell beads as markers of Oceanic dispersal: A rare Cypraeidae ornament type from the Mariana Islands. In Langley MC, Litster M, Wright D, May SK, editors, The Archaeology of Portable Art: Southeast Asian, Pacific, and Australian Perspectives. Oxon, UK: Routledge Curzon. 2018. p. 142-161 doi: 10.4324/9781315299112-10

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

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