Between land and sea. The exploitation of marine shells from the Neolithic to the Iron age in Iran: the site of Ruwar (northwest of Iran)

Abstract

The relationship between humans and the marine environment has played a pivotal role in the development of modern societies. The exploitation of marine resources for food and for the collection of raw materials has been an integral part of the development of human communities near coastal areas throughout the world. The circulation of raw materials, such as shells, has allowed the connections between different groups dating from the Pleistocene to be identified. These artefacts are markers tracing the circulation "roads" that resulted in the spread of knowledge and goods between coastal and inland communities. Here we focus in particular on marine shell artefacts used for the production of ornamental objects in Iran from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. The ultimate aim is to synthesise our understanding of the production of these objects and to establish the technological characterisation by studying the Iron Age series from the Ruwar site. This site, which is very distant from the sea, provides new information on the circulation of marine resources in the remote mountainous region of western Iran. The ornamental objects here are composed of shells from the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf, demonstrating that geographical distance did not necessarily prevent contact with neighbouring groups. The shells are an exception testament to either long-distance interactions or, more likely, to extensive networks of indirect trade, with repeated exchanges over short distances, during the Iron Age.