Researchers have discovered that 6000-years-ago people across Europe shared a cultural tradition of using freshwater mussel shells to craft ornaments.

Jorune Sakalauskaite, Søren Andersen, Paolo Biagi, Maria A Borrello, Théophile Cocquerez, André Carlo Colonese, Federica Dal Bello, Alberto Girod, Marion Heumüller, Hannah Koon, Giorgia Mandili, Claudio Medana, Kirsty E H Penkman, Laurent Plasseraud, Helmut Schlichtherle, Sheila Taylor, Caroline Tokarski, Jérôme Thomas, Julie Wilson, Frédéric Marin, Beatrice Demarchi. 'Palaeoshellomics' reveals the use of freshwater mother-of-pearl in prehistory. eLife, 2019; 8 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.45644

The extensive use of mollusc shell as a versatile raw material is testament to its importance in prehistoric times. The consistent choice of certain species for different purposes, including the making of ornaments, is a direct representation of how humans viewed and exploited their environment. The necessary taxonomic information, however, is often impossible to obtain from objects that are small, heavily worked or degraded. Here we propose a novel biogeochemical approach to track the biological origin of prehistoric mollusc shell. We conducted an in-depth study of archaeological ornaments using microstructural, geochemical and biomolecular analyses, including 'palaeoshellomics', the first application of palaeoproteomics to mollusc shells (and indeed to any invertebrate calcified tissue). We reveal the consistent use of locally-sourced freshwater mother-of-pearl for the standardized manufacture of 'double-buttons'. This craft is found throughout Europe between 4200 - 3800 BCE, highlighting the ornament-makers' profound knowledge of the biogeosphere and the existence of cross-cultural traditions.

These are prehistoric shell ornaments made with freshwater mother-of-pearl.
These are prehistoric shell ornaments made with freshwater mother-of-pearl. - The ornaments were made between 4200 and 3800 BC and were even found in areas on the coast where plenty of other shells would have been available. Archaeological evidence suggests the ornaments, known as "double-buttons," may have been pressed into leather to decorate armbands or belts. Senior author of the study, Dr Beatrice Demarchi, from the Department of Archaeology at the University of York and the University of Turin (Italy), said: "We were surprised to discover that the ornaments were all made from freshwater mussels because it implies that this material was highly regarded by prehistoric craftsmen, wherever they were in Europe and whatever cultural group they belonged to. Our study suggests the existence of a European-wide cross-cultural tradition for the manufacture of these double-buttons." Freshwater molluscs have often been overlooked as a source of raw material in prehistory (despite the strength and resilience of mother-of-pearl) because many archaeologists believed that their local origin made them less "prestigious" than exotic marine shells. © Jérôme Thomas (UMR CNRS 6282 Biogeosciences, University of Burgundy-Franche-Comté)Close