Abstract
Shell beads are well established in the archaeological record of sub-Saharan Africa and appear as early as 75,000 BP; however, most research has focused on ostrich eggshell (OES) and various marine mollusc species. Beads made from various land snails shells (LSS), frequently described as Achatina, also appear to be widespread. Yet tracking their appearance and distribution is difficult because LSS beads are often intentionally or unintentionally lumped with OES beads, there are no directly dated examples, and bead reporting in general is highly variable in the archaeological literature. Nevertheless, Achatina and other potential cases of LSS beads are present at over 80 archaeological sites in at least eight countries, spanning the early Holocene to recent past. Here, we collate published cases and report on several more. We also present a new case from Magubike Rockshelter in southern Tanzania with the first directly dated LSS beads, which we use to illustrate methods for identifying LSS as a raw material. Despite the long history of OES bead production on the continent and the abundance of land snails available throughout the Pleistocene, LSS beads appear only in the late Holocene and are almost exclusively found in Iron Age contexts. We consider possible explanations for the late adoption of land snails as a raw material for beadmaking within the larger context of environmental, economic, and social processes in Holocene Africa. By highlighting the existence of these artifacts, we hope to facilitate more in-depth research on the timing, production, and distribution of LSS beads in African prehistory.
Highlights
Shell beads have a long history of production in subSaharan Africa and are one of the first indicators of early modern human symbolic behavior, appearing by 75,000 years ago alongside other forms material culture such as utilized ochre and portable/parietal art (d’Errico et al 2005; Henshilwood and Marean 2003; McBrearty and Brooks 2000; Wadley 2001)
ostrich eggshell (OES) beads remain well represented in Later Stone Age (LSA) and Iron Age (IA) deposits, with the tradition continuing into the ethnographic present among linguistically and culturally diverse communities (Chittick 1975; Lee 1984; Marshall 1976; Silberbauer 1965, 1981; van der Sleen 1958)
It is not possible at present to identify the raw material to species, clear laminations visible on bead surfaces are consistent with land snails shells (LSS)
Summary
Shell beads have a long history of production in subSaharan Africa and are one of the first indicators of early modern human symbolic behavior, appearing by 75,000 years ago alongside other forms material culture such as utilized ochre and portable/parietal art (d’Errico et al 2005; Henshilwood and Marean 2003; McBrearty and Brooks 2000; Wadley 2001). We illustrate our methods using a new case study of LSS beads from Magubike Rockshelter in southern Tanzania, which represent the first directly dated beads of this type The context of these finds at Magubike evokes broader questions on the nature of these artifacts, starting with when they appear and where they are found. Our ultimate objective is to consider why LSS beads begin to appear alongside, but do not replace, OES beads in many places across sub-Saharan African during the latter stages of the Holocene We believe this can represent a starting point for more focused study of LSS beads in African archaeology, as part of a broader recognition of land snails as an important component of material culture. In cases without provenience and/or associated dates, we report bracketing dates for the site or a broad time period (Later Stone Age, Pastoral Neolithic, or Iron Age)
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