Isotopic composition of Conomurex fasciatus shells as an environmental proxy for the Red Sea

Hausmann, Niklas; Colonese, André Carlo; Ponzoni, Andre De Lima; Hancock, Yvette; Meredith-Williams, Matthew; Leng, Melanie J.; Bailey, Geoff

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2015.08.051

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…We also draw attention to the existence of a shallow deposit of C . fasciatus shells associated with a hearth dated to 6,500 cal BP [68] (S1 File). This deposit was found beneath the thick beach ridge on which the shell mound of JE0087 in Transect 3 is located.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous analyses of radiocarbon dates from the Farasan shell middens have used varying ΔR values to correct for the local marine reservoir effect– ΔR = 100±50 [64,67] and ΔR = 123±28 [68]. Here we report the addition of four paired samples of terrestrial charcoal and marine shell from the sites of JE0087, JW1727 and JW1807, which produced values of 48±32, 73±47, 154±65 and 188±44.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantifying spatial variability in shell midden formation in the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia

et al. 2019

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During the past decade, over 3000 shell middens or shell matrix deposits have been discovered on the Farasan Islands in the southern Red Sea, dating to the period c. 7,360 to 4,700 years ago. Many of the sites are distributed along a palaeoshoreline which is now 2–3 m above present sea level. Others form clusters with some sites on the shoreline and others located inland over distances of c. 30 m to 1 km. We refer to these inland sites as ‘post-shore’ sites. Following Meehan, who observed a similar spatial separation in shell deposition in her ethnographic study of Anbarra shellgathering in the Northern Territory of Australia, we hypothesise that the shoreline sites are specialised sites for the processing or immediate consumption of shell food, and the post-shore sites are habitation sites used for a variety of activities. We test this proposition through a systematic analysis of 55 radiocarbon dates and measurement of shell quantities from the excavation of 15 shell matrix sites in a variety of locations including shoreline and post-shore sites. Our results demonstrate large differences in rates of shell accumulation between these two types of sites and selective removal of shoreline sites by changes in sea level. We also discuss the wider implications for understanding the differential preservation and visibility of shell-matrix deposits in coastal settings in other parts of the world extending back into the later Pleistocene in association with periods of lowersea level. Our results highlight the importance of taphonomic factors of post-depositional degradation and destruction, rates of shell accumulation, the influence on site location of factors other than shell food supply, and the relative distance of deposits from their nearest palaeoshorelines as key variables in the interpretation of shell quantities. Failure to take these variables into account when investigating shells and shell-matrix deposits in late Pleistocene and early Holocene contexts is likely to compromise interpretations of the role and significance of shell food in human evolutionary and socio-cultural development.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying spatial variability in shell midden formation in the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia

et al. 2019

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“…These species are economically relevant nowadays as well as in the past, and are widespread in archaeological and environmental deposits in the three regions 19,20,21 . All three specimens had been previously used for stable isotope and sclerochronological analyses 22 . The shells had been previously prepared for sampling their microgrowth increments according to their form and shape.…”

Section: Shell Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elemental mapping of Mg/Ca intensity ratios in marine mollusc shells using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Hausmann

Siozos

Lemonis

et al. 2017

J. Anal. At. Spectrom.

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“…The remaining 3.52%, grouped here as "Other", consists of a further 46 identified taxonomic categories of varied rank. Like the Wathayn deposit, there is a single dominant species, Conomurex fasciatus, a small herbivorous conch (length of adults 25-50 mm, Hausmann et al, 2017) comprising 71.76% molluscan solids by weight. Another similarity is that the second largest proportion of molluscan solids are unidentifiable fragmented valves (16.91%).…”

Section: Case Study Two: Jw1705 Janaba Westmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond consumption and discard: A comparative sedimentological analysis of two shell deposits from Albatross Bay, Australia, and the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia

Allely¹,

Holdaway

Fanning

et al. 2021

Quaternary International

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Isotopic composition of Conomurex fasciatus shells as an environmental proxy for the Red Sea

Cited by 8 publications

References 68 publications

Quantifying spatial variability in shell midden formation in the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia

Quantifying spatial variability in shell midden formation in the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia

Elemental mapping of Mg/Ca intensity ratios in marine mollusc shells using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Beyond consumption and discard: A comparative sedimentological analysis of two shell deposits from Albatross Bay, Australia, and the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia

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