Exploring Personal Ornamentation at Kharaneh IV: An Aesthetic Analysis of the Shell Bead Assemblage

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

About 20,000 cal. BP, the presently arid desert environment at Kharaneh IV, Jordan, is thought to have been a resource-rich wetland, yet only 12% of the examined shell bead assemblage is associated with terrestrial/freshwater species---the remaining 88% is attributed to marine species sourced from either the Mediterranean or Red Sea, both over 200 km away. Past research has argued that this supports the existence of a trade network within the region, and that variations in bead design over the site’s thousands of years of occupation may correlate with unique socio-cultural meanings. Aesthetics as an analytical lens may help uncover what "rules," if any, governed mollusc selection, discern stylistic trends, and aid in comprehending the apparent preference for marine molluscs over freshwater/terrestrial species. By better understanding the personal ornamentation practices of the people living at Kharaneh IV, we may gain more insight into the evolution of human behavior and aesthetic sense during the Epipaleolithic period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51683