engleski

Columbella rustica – preferred personal ornament on the Eastern Adriatic coast during Mesolithic

In an attempt to understand the culture and social behaviour of Mesolithic populations findings of personal ornaments are of particular importance. Columbella rustica (dove shell) is small marine gastropod present throughout the Mediterranean in the infralittoral zone on the rocky surface just below sea level. Perforated Columbella rustica were regularly used as beads by hunter-gatherer from beginning of Upper Palaeolithic to the Mesolithic with the wide spatial distribution. This small marine gastropod is still in use as an ornament by some post hunter-gatherer economies. So far, on the Eastern Adriatic coast 988 personal ornaments from the 8 prehistoric sites (Abri Šebrn, Lim 001, Nugljanska cave, Pupićina cave, Vela spilja, Vlakno cave, Vela spila and Zala cave) with Mesolithic horizons have been discovered. On all these sites, except Zala cave, Columbella rustica is preferred type of raw material used for making beads (84, 72%), while other types of marine gastropods and bivalves, river gastropods and animal teeth are represented in smaller amounts. The biggest number of beads has been discovered in Vlakno cave (N=447), one of the richest prehistorical sites of personal ornaments on Eastern Adriatic coast, and most of these beads are made of Columbella rustica (78, 75%). There are numerous other marine gastropods and bivalves that can also be easily collected and perforated, but Mesolithic groups always selected same species. The selectivity in the raw materials choice can be interpreted in the context of a uniform non-verbal visual communication, and the existence and expression of not only local but also regional identity. The establishment of such visible “social links” called by Whallon “safety net”, is considered as an important part of the survival strategies of that time, especially in a period of major climatic oscillations that have caused major changes in the environment in relation to the availability of food sources.

Columbella rustica; personal ornament; Eastern Adriatic; Mesolithic

nije evidentirano