ShellsCheryl Claassen offers an authoritative, readable and clear guide to the study of shells, which is addressed to students and professional archaeologists and palaeontologists. She considers the history of archaeological interest in shells, the biology of freshwater and marine molluscs, and critically discusses current techniques, methods, and research problems. Drawing on examples worldwide, and covering prehistoric and historic periods, among the topics covered are: is shell deposit natural or cultural? How long do shells last? What can shells tell us about the environmental characteristics and ancient habitats or about the people who collected them? What symbolic roles have shells served in human societies? This is a well balanced account, and all aspects of the subject are clearly represented. |
Contents
The archaeology of shell matrix sites | 1 |
12 Shells and archaeologists | 2 |
13 Contemporary research | 6 |
Shelled animals biology and predation | 16 |
22 Predation | 37 |
Taphonomy of shell and shell assemblages | 53 |
31 Taphonomic processes active on individual shells | 54 |
32 Taphonomy of groups of shells | 70 |
62 Oxygen isotopes | 149 |
63 Incremental growth technique | 152 |
64 Summary | 173 |
| 175 | |
72 Indirect methods of estimating the role of molluscs in human diet | 183 |
73 Assaying shellfish contribution to the diet using bone chemistry | 191 |
74 Summary | 194 |
The shell artifact | 196 |
33 Issues in archaeological excavation | 85 |
34 Issues in archaeological laboratory analysis | 89 |
35 Conclusions | 97 |
Quantification of archaeological shell | 99 |
42 Quantifying shells | 104 |
43 Summary | 120 |
Paleoenvironmental reconstruction | 122 |
52 Shell shapesize | 134 |
53 Shell chemistry | 138 |
Summary | 142 |
Season of death | 146 |
Shell symbolism | 203 |
83 Movement of shell | 212 |
84 Summary | 218 |
Shells and social organization | 220 |
92 Political institutions | 228 |
93 Trade | 233 |
94 Conclusion | 235 |
| 236 | |
| 260 | |
| 263 | |
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Common terms and phrases
abundance accumulations acid activities animals aquatic aragonite archaeological archaeological shells archaeologists areas artifacts assemblages bioerosion birds bivalves calcite calcium carbonate changes Chapter chemical chitons Claassen clams coast coastal collected color conchiolin crabs cultural death debris diagenesis diet dietary distribution Dogan Point eastern eastern oyster ecology environment environmental excavation fast growth Figure fish Florida formation processes fragmentation freshwater gastropod shells gastropods growth lines habitat harvest human impact increase indicated interpreted intertidal Island isotopic land snails large numbers layer levels living marine shell meat weight mercenaria molluscs mussels naiads NW Atlantic oxygen isotope oyster Pacific percent periostracum population predation predicted prehistoric protein provenience quahog Quitmyer ratio reconstruction River salinity sample seasonality sediment shell deposits shell matrix sites shell mounds shell-bearing sites shellfish snails specimens studies substrate surface survivorship curves taphonomic taphonomic processes taxa technique terrestrial tion trematodes values valves variation virginica water temperature zone