A Mystery Object from the Bronze Age

At archaeological sites, concentrations of marine mollusc shells, which are known to be edible species, can often be interpreted with little ambiguity as food refuse. It is a recurring feature that such concentrations may also contain other shells whose condition, even allowing for the degradational processes which may have affected the deposit, suggests that they were brought to the site in worn condition, or they may have been subjected to man-made modification after collection. Analysis of shell middens from sites along the north Cornish coast, and comparison with the species present in the modern day environment there, shows that the 6 taxa (3 genera) which dominate the middens (Patella spp., Mytilus spp. and Nucella lapillus) also dominate the mollusc populations living on the shore, and worn, sometimes holed, Glycymeris and Acanthocardia valves which are present in the archaeological assemblages, are common features of the dead shell assemblages which litter the present-day beaches.

Even more extraordinary shells sometimes turn up during excavation and the figured shell of Buccinum undatum is no exception. The shell was excavated at Gwithian Sands by Charles Thomas and his team in the 1950s, and is dated to the Bronze Age, having been retrieved from a well-constrained context at some 6ft in depth. There are 8 holes arranged around the shell and although some of them have rather crude outlines, there can be little doubt that this is a worked shell bearing evidence of the hand of man (or woman!). But what can the purpose of this artefact be? One or two ideas have been proposed but it would be interesting to see what suggestions readers of Mollusc World can produce. Please send your suggestions to Jan Light who will collate all responses and communicate them in a future issue of the magazine. (John Llewellyn Jones who is an expert at blowing shell trumpets, and a professional wind musician have both tried to get a note out of this shell, with no success!) A prize will be offered for the most ‘enlightened’ suggestion.

Jan Light 88 Peperharow Road Godalming GU7 2PN jan@janthina.co.uk

Fig 1. Holed Buccinum

Fig 2. Dorsal and apertural views of the shell of Buccinum undatum retrieved from a Bronze Age site at Gwithian Sands, Cornwall. The holes number eight. Scale 1cm.