Shell bead production in the Upper Paleolithic of Vale Boi (SW Portugal): an experimental perspective

Abstract

In this paper, we focused on shell bead production during the Upper Paleolithic at the site of Vale Boi in Southwestern Portugal as a means of understanding social visual transmission. Vale Boi has a long sequence dated to between c. 32 and 7 ka cal BP with well-preserved bone and shell assemblages from early Gravettian to Neolithic times. The archaeological shell bead collection includes over 100 specimens from the Gravettian, Proto-Solutrean, Solutrean and Magdalenian layers from Vale Boi, including at least 5 species: Littorina obtusata or Littorina fabalis, Trivia sp., Antalis sp., Mitrella scripta and Theodoxus fluviatilis.Experimental replication techniques included scratching, sawing, and hammering using lithic and bone implements on both internal and external sides of the shells. Experimental results indicate that there are a series of potential fabrication techniques for bead production, but there is a clear tendency in the archaeological record to use a single technique for each shell species. There also seems to be a focus on using a fast technique rather than a slower one, which seems to produce higher quality results.Finally, we also address the topic of the impact of bead production techniques on the evolution of bead design technology through all Upper Paleolithic record in SW Portugal.