Pearl and Mother of Pearl in Hispania: Exploitation and Trade of Marine Luxury Products

Abstract

This article analyses the exploitation of luxury products such as pearls and mother of pearl, a seldom-examined facet of maritime archaeology. This issue will be approached from an archaeology of production perspective, taking into account the whole chaine operatoire, including harvesting the resource, marketing it, and mounting it in different supports. We shall also examine the meaning of these resources and some extravagant practices for which they were used during antiquity. We shall pay special attention to the artisans, as well as the production methods used to process these resources and assemble them. The study will focus on the Roman period, and Hispania will be used as case study. The Iberian Peninsula is surrounded by plentiful seas, but this specific issue had been paid no specific attention to date. An unpublished catalogue of jewels decorated with pearls and other ornaments is presented, which confirms the importance of these resources in ancient Roman markets.