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SUMMARY:Pierced or perforated: Using 3D models to differentiate anthropoge
 nic piercing from natural perforations in shells - Marjolein Bosch\, Austr
 ian Academy of Sciences
DTSTART:20220520T121500Z
DTEND:20220520T130000Z
UID:TALK174350@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Ruairidh Macleod
DESCRIPTION:Perforated shells are often used to study socially mediated be
 haviour in past hunter-gatherer groups. The assumption is that their exclu
 sive symbolic function makes them ideally suited to investigate social net
 works\, dispersal activity\, and social interaction. Before making any sta
 tements regarding human behaviour however\, it needs to be established whe
 ther perforated shells from archaeological assemblages were used as person
 al ornaments. One of the key issues regarding beach-collected marine taxa 
 is whether beached specimens were purposefully collected\, e.g.\, preferen
 tial selection of naturally holed specimens\, or whether human-made perfor
 ations may be identified. I will present a novel approach using μCT scans
  of pristine shells to create three-dimensional models of shell thickness.
  Models of two species\, Tritia (Nassarius) gibbosula and Columbella rusti
 ca\, are used to map robust and fragile zones on shells. The hypotheses be
 ing that structurally weak zones would be prone to natural perforations an
 d that damage within these zones should be random. To test these hypothese
 s\, heat maps of shell density are used to compare perforation locations i
 n modern-death and archaeological assemblages. The results show that in na
 tural death assemblages both hypotheses are indeed met. Whereas in the arc
 haeological samples from early Upper Palaeolithic contexts at Ksâr ‘Aki
 l (Lebanon)\, perforation locations in C. rustica are less variable and mo
 re frequent in robust zones. Perforations in T. gibbosula mainly occur in 
 structurally weak zones\, but their distribution within these zones is not
  random and favours locations facilitating easy suspension. This suggests 
 that humans used both species as beads\, by selecting shells with natural 
 perforations in specific locations\, by perforating the shells themselves\
 , or using a combination of both methods. This in turn\, warrants investig
 ations into the social and behavioural implications of their presence.\n\n
 Registration link: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMqcuGupz0p
 Ht1vL-6yil0-ZSESaL4gT9sp
LOCATION:Online through zoom
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