标题：Special Issue: Early Personal Ornaments --- Personal Adornments and Objects of Ornamentation: Two Case Studies From Hunter-Gatherer Burials in France (La Vergne) and Argentine (Arroyo Seco II)
摘要：This article presents two case studies from totally distinct geographic sectors and cultural environments—the
Arroyo Seco II cemetery, in the Pampas in Argentina (7800–6300 BP and 4800–4300 BP), and La Vergne, in the
west of France dated to the Early Mesolithic (9280–9000 BP), on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean. These two
graveyards correspond to hunter-gatherer populations, where shells are a major component. They present exceptionally
well-conserved remains and were attentively and accurately excavated. Burial environments such as
these, especially graves in open ground, enable us to discuss the status of decorative and ornamental objects in
relation to the deceased, and their position in the tomb. Some of them contain abundant corporal personal adornments,
whereas others seem to correspond to the deposition of objects in highly ornate perishable materials; each
of which contributes to the funerary arrangements. The comparison of such distant examples compels us to go
beyond strictly local contingencies and allows us to better underline similarities. It also provides the opportunity
to bring to light different types of human action on materials, including the comparison of natural entities with
the shaping of raw materials. With respect to prehistoric personal adornments, this debate is reminiscent of the
earlier distinction between shells (skeletal) and shellfish. Within this comparative scheme, a new example—the
Germignac grave complex (6090 BP) from the early Neolithic of western France where shells are also a major component
of adornments—will then highlight how the first farmers, at least in this case, erased the natural identity
of certain elements.
This special issue is guest-edited by Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer (Steinhardt Museum of Natural History and
Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University) and Marjolein D. Bosch (McDonald Institute for Archaeological
Research, University of Cambridge). This is article #9 of 12.
