Abstract
Artefacts made of the Mediterranean mollusc Spondylus gaederopus have been in the focus of archaeological research since the discovery and publication of the hoard of Bernburg, Germany, in 1885 by Rudolf Virchow. They are considered to be one of the first long-distance exchange goods in Europe, as the distribution of Spondylus artefacts spread between the Adriatic/Aegean Sea up to the Paris Basin during the Neolithic. While the dataset covers sites with Spondylus between the Palaeolithic and the Iron Age, the artefacts are described in detail for the time period between 5500 and 5000 BC. Funding statement: The research was funded by the Leibniz Association and the Ruhr-University Bochum.
Highlights
(1) Overview Context The dataset of Spondylus gaederopus during the prehistory of Europe was collected as a part of a doctoral project and was extended afterwards
Between 5000 and 4000 BC the use of Spondylus decreases in Europe: While at the beginning of the fifth Millennium BC the centre of distribution was along the Tisza and the Danube, it shifted towards the Black Sea coast at the end
Artefacts made of Spondylus gaederopus are usually interpreted as prestige goods and their circulation in Europe is described in terms of gift exchange [8]
Summary
Artefacts made of the Mediterranean mollusc Spondylus gaederopus have been in the focus of archaeological research since the discovery and publication of the hoard of Bernburg, Germany, in 1885 by Rudolf Virchow They are considered to be one of the first long-distance exchange goods in Europe, as the distribution of Spondylus artefacts spread between the Adriatic/Aegean Sea up to the Paris Basin during the Neolithic. The distribution of Spondylus gaederopus, a mollusc from the Aegean or Adriatic Sea, was used as a case study because it is one of the earliest examples of long-distance exchange during the Neolithic in Europe. Spondylus valves were found in Spain in two Palaeolithic contexts [2] In terms of their temporal distribution as adornments, beads were made of the shell as early as the Aceramic Neolithic of Cyprus [3]. Since research about artefacts made of Spondylus gaederopus has been conducted for more
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