Jewels of shell and stone, clay and bone: The production, function, and distribution of Aegean Stone Age ornaments

This study is an exploration of the social and economic organization of the Aegean Neolithic through an examination of the systems of production, function, and distribution of personal ornaments. The traditional model of Aegean Neolithic society is that of simple, egalitarian and autonomous villages, with few socioeconomic changes over the millennia. Scholars have argued recently, however, that the Aegean Neolithic period saw significant changes in social organization, increases in inter-community exchange, and the rise of social differentiation. This study tests the traditional model by examining 3154 ornaments and related artifacts from seven sites in Greece (Franchthi Cave, Halai, Achilleion, Agia Sofia Magula, Saliagos, Sitagroi, and Dikili Tash) which date from the Upper Palaeolithic through the end of the Neolithic.;Classification of these ornaments is based on ornament morphology, manufacture, wear, and raw materials, and makes a primary distinction between beads, pendants, annulets, ornaments without perforations and ornaments manufactured from whole shells. The different ornament types are differentiated spatially and chronologically, with complex, individually manufactured pendants more common in early phases of the Neolithic, and standardized simple beads and shell annulets produced in large quantity in later phases. Such changes are associated with different organizations of production, particularly the development of specialization in the manufacture of ornaments. The great time and effort demonstrated in ornament production indicates the considerable value placed on these objects in Neolithic society. The raw material and forms of ornaments point to their function as prestige objects, identifying the gender, age and status of their wearer. Several ornaments were used for specific ceremonies and rituals, some involving childbirth. The broad geographical distribution of several ornament types, especially those manufactured from Spondylus shell, are evidence of long-distance trade in the Late Neolithic. This trade was perhaps controlled by emerging elites. By documenting evidence for craft specialization, social differentiation and long-distance trade in the Aegean Neolithic, and changes in the socio-economic system surrounding ornaments over time, this study challenges the traditional model of social organization in the Aegean Neolithic and posits a more dynamic, complex, and hierarchical society in its place.