Shell Artefacts

Mollusc shells have been used for 200,000 years as adornments, tools, vessels, musical instruments and more.

Dating back to the Palaeolithic period, shells are among the earliest symbolic artefacts and are a key indicator of human cognitive evolution. In this volume, Daniella B. Bar-Yosef Mayer offers a multi-disciplinary, global survey of shell artefacts in human history.Shells were an important product in the prehistoric and ancient worlds. Dating back to the Palaeolithic period, shells are among the earliest symbolic artefacts and are a key indicator of human cognitive evolution. In this volume, Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer offers a multi-disciplinary, global survey of shell artefacts in human history. Integrating approaches from biomineralogy, palaeontology, and geoarchaeology, she shows how humans exploited shells as fundamental components of material culture, alongside lithics and ceramics. Bar-Yosef Mayer traces how the transition to farming was accompanied by technological advances and innovations as reflected in new artefact types, including decorative objects, such as pendants and bangles, as well as tools and vessels, such as containers and fish-hooks. Her study also considers the use of shell money as currency in historical periods. Featuring examples of shell technology from around the world, this volume serves as an introduction to the topic and is suitable for use in courses on human prehistory and early civilizations.