Section: Archaeology
Topic: Archaeology

Technological analysis and experimental reproduction of the techniques of perforation of quartz beads from the Ceramic period in the Antilles

Raymond, Madeleine1; Fouéré, Pierrick2, 3; Ledevin, Ronan1 ; Lefrais, Yannick4; Queffelec, Alain1  
1 UMR5199 CNRS PACEA, Univ. Bordeaux, Ministère de la Culture -- Pessac, France
2 INRAP Nouvelle Aquitaine et Outre-Mer -- Pessac, France
3 UMR5608 CNRS TRACES, Univ. Toulouse Jean Jaurès -- Toulouse, France
4 UMR6034 CNRS Archéosciences Bordeaux, Univ. Bordeaux Montaigne, Univ. Bordeaux -- Pessac, France

10.24072/pcjournal.184 - Peer Community Journal, Volume 2 (2022), article no. e66.

Get full text PDF Peer reviewed and recommended by PCI
article image

Personal ornaments are a very specific kind of material production in human societies and are particularly valuable artifacts for the archaeologist seeking to understand past societies. In the Caribbean, Early Ceramic Age sites have yielded a highly diverse production both in terms of raw materials and typology. In recent years they have been the subject of renewed interest, mainly based on the diversity and provenance of raw materials, and on typological similarity, used as proxies for exchange networks, social interactions and the evolution of these phenomena through the Ceramic Age. Meanwhile, the  chaîne opératoire for lithic beads and pendants has not been investigated in detail, including the process of creating narrow perforations in quartz beads several centimeters long. This hard material (7 on the Mohs scale), represented as rock crystal and amethyst in the collections, is indeed very difficult to perforate without the use of metal drills or harder minerals used as drill-bits or abrasives such as diamond or emery. In this work we demonstrate that it is possible to produce these perforations with cactus thorns and crushed quartz as abrasive powder. We also show that the wear created by our experimental work is fully comparable to the wear visible on the archaeological artifacts. This process, using only materials available to Ceramic Age people, also accounts for the absence of both adequate drills and production wastes of quartz beads in the archaeological record. The investment of Ceramic Age inhabitants of the Lesser Antilles in the production of the many beads made of very hard material recovered in archaeological excavations is once again highlighted. The perforation process, not investigated in detail so far in this archaeological context, has to be taken into account in the value of these highly symbolic artifacts, in addition to the exotic provenance of the raw material.

Published online:
DOI: 10.24072/pcjournal.184
Type: Research article

Raymond, Madeleine 1; Fouéré, Pierrick 2, 3; Ledevin, Ronan 1; Lefrais, Yannick 4; Queffelec, Alain 1

1 UMR5199 CNRS PACEA, Univ. Bordeaux, Ministère de la Culture -- Pessac, France
2 INRAP Nouvelle Aquitaine et Outre-Mer -- Pessac, France
3 UMR5608 CNRS TRACES, Univ. Toulouse Jean Jaurès -- Toulouse, France
4 UMR6034 CNRS Archéosciences Bordeaux, Univ. Bordeaux Montaigne, Univ. Bordeaux -- Pessac, France
License: CC-BY 4.0
Copyrights: The authors retain unrestricted copyrights and publishing rights 
@article{10_24072_pcjournal_184,
     author = {Raymond, Madeleine and Fou\'er\'e, Pierrick and Ledevin, Ronan and Lefrais, Yannick and Queffelec, Alain},
     title = {Technological analysis and experimental reproduction of the techniques of perforation of quartz beads from the {Ceramic} period in the {Antilles}},
     journal = {Peer Community Journal},
     eid = {e66},
     publisher = {Peer Community In},
     volume = {2},
     year = {2022},
     doi = {10.24072/pcjournal.184},
     url = {https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.184/}
}
TY  - JOUR
AU  - Raymond, Madeleine
AU  - Fouéré, Pierrick
AU  - Ledevin, Ronan
AU  - Lefrais, Yannick
AU  - Queffelec, Alain
TI  - Technological analysis and experimental reproduction of the techniques of perforation of quartz beads from the Ceramic period in the Antilles
JO  - Peer Community Journal
PY  - 2022
VL  - 2
PB  - Peer Community In
UR  - https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.184/
DO  - 10.24072/pcjournal.184
ID  - 10_24072_pcjournal_184
ER  - 
%0 Journal Article
%A Raymond, Madeleine
%A Fouéré, Pierrick
%A Ledevin, Ronan
%A Lefrais, Yannick
%A Queffelec, Alain
%T Technological analysis and experimental reproduction of the techniques of perforation of quartz beads from the Ceramic period in the Antilles
%J Peer Community Journal
%D 2022
%V 2
%I Peer Community In
%U https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.184/
%R 10.24072/pcjournal.184
%F 10_24072_pcjournal_184
Raymond, Madeleine; Fouéré, Pierrick; Ledevin, Ronan; Lefrais, Yannick; Queffelec, Alain. Technological analysis and experimental reproduction of the techniques of perforation of quartz beads from the Ceramic period in the Antilles. Peer Community Journal, Volume 2 (2022), article  no. e66. doi : 10.24072/pcjournal.184. https://peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10.24072/pcjournal.184/

PCI peer reviews and recommendation, and links to data, scripts, code and supplementary information: 10.24072/pci.archaeo.100020

Conflict of interest of the recommender and peer reviewers:
The recommender in charge of the evaluation of the article and the reviewers declared that they have no conflict of interest (as defined in the code of conduct of PCI) with the authors or with the content of the article.

[1] Bar-Yosef Mayer, D. E. B.-Y.; Groman-Yaroslavski, I.; Bar-Yosef, O.; Hershkovitz, I.; Kampen-Hasday, A.; Vandermeersch, B.; Zaidner, Y.; Weinstein-Evron, M. On Holes and Strings: Earliest Displays of Human Adornment in the Middle Palaeolithic, PLOS ONE, Volume 15 (2020) no. 7, p. e0234924 | DOI

[2] Bérard, B. About Boxes and Labels: A Periodization of the Amerindian Occupation of the West Indies, Journal of Caribbean Archaeology, Volume 19 (2019), p. 17

[3] Bérard, B. Les Premières Occupations Agricoles de l'Arc Antillais, Migrations et Insularité, Paris Monograph in American Archaeology, 1299, Archaeopress, Oxford, 2004

[4] Bérard, B.; Giraud, J.-P. Les Premières Occupations Agricoles de La Martinique. Vol. 1524, British Archaeological Reports, International Serie. Archaeopress, Oxford (2006)

[5] Bérard, B. The Saladoid, The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Archaeology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2013, pp. 184-197

[6] Carter, B.; Helmer, M. Elite Dress and Regional Identity: Chimú-Inka Perforated Ornaments from Samanco, Nepeña Valley, Coastal Peru, BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers, Volume 27 (2015) no. 1, pp. 46-74

[7] Cody, A. K. Distribution of Exotic Stone Artifacts through the Lesser Antilles : Their Implications for Prehistoric Interaction and Exchange, Proceedings of the 14th Congress of the International Association for Caribbean Archaeology, Barbados, 1993, pp. 204-226

[8] Cody, A. K. Prehistoric Patterns of Exchange in the Lesser Antilles: Materials, Models, and Preliminary Observations, San Diego State University (1990)

[9] Cody, A. K. From the Site of Pearls, Grenada : Exotic Lithics and Radiocarbon Dates, Proceedings of the 13th Congress of the International Association for Caribbean Archaeology, Curaçao, 1991, pp. 589-604

[10] Crock, J. G.; Bartone, R. N. Archaeology of Trants, Montserrat. Part 4. Flaked Stone and Stone Bead Industries, Annals of Carnegie Museum Pittsburgh, Volume 67 (1998) no. 3, pp. 197-224

[11] de Mille, C. N.; Varney, T. L.; Turney, M. Saladoid Lapidary Technology : New Methods for Investigating Stone Bead Drilling Techniques, Crossing the Borders: New Methods and Techniques in the Study of Archaeology Materials from the Caribbean, The university of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, 2008

[12] d'Errico, F.; Henshilwood, C.; Lawson, G.; Vanhaeren, M.; Tillier, A.-M.; Soressi, M.; Bresson, F.; Maureille, B.; Nowell, A.; Lakarra, J.; Backwell, L.; Julien, M. Archaeological Evidence for the Emergence of Language, Symbolism, and Music–An Alternative Multidisciplinary Perspective, Journal of World Prehistor, Volume 17 (2003) no. 1, pp. 1-70 | DOI

[13] Durand, J.-F.; Petitjean Roget, H. A propos d'un collier funéraire à Morel, Guadeloupe : les Huecoïdes sont-ils un mythe ?, Proceedings of the 12th Congress of the International Association for Caribbean Archaeology, Cayenne, 1991, pp. 53-72

[14] Falci, C. G. Indigenous Adornment in the Circum-Caribbean, Leiden University, Leiden (2020)

[15] Falci, C. G.; Knaf, A. C. S.; van Gijn, A.; Davies, G. R.; Hofman, C. L. Lapidary Production in the Eastern Caribbean: A Typo-Technological and Microwear Study of Ornaments from the Site of Pearls, Grenada, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, Volume 12 (2020) no. 2, p. 53 | DOI

[16] Falci, C. G. Stringing Beads Together: A Microwear Study of Bodily Ornaments in Late Pre-Colonial North-Central Venezuela and North-Western Dominican Republic, Leiden (2015)

[17] Fitzpatrick, S. M. A Critical Approach to 14 C Dating in the Caribbean: Using Chronometric Hygiene to Evaluate Chronological Control and Prehistoric Settlement, Latin American Antiquity, Volume 17 (2006) no. 4, pp. 389-418 | DOI

[18] Fouéré, P. Le Matériel Lithique, Fouille Préventive de La Gare Maritime de Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe), Service Régional de l'Archéologie, Direction des Affaires Culturelles de Guadeloupe, Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, 2006, pp. 82-101

[19] Friedrich, K.; Akpan, E. I.; Wetzel, B. On the Tribological Properties of Extremely Different Wood Materials, European Journal of Wood and Wood Products, Volume 79 (2021) no. 4, pp. 977-988 | DOI

[20] Fritsch, E.; Rossman, G. R. An Update on Color in Gems. Part 2: Colors Involving Multiple Atoms and Color Centers, Gems & Gemology, Volume 24 (1988) no. 1, pp. 3-15

[21] Gazzola, J. La Producción de Cuentas En Piedras Verdes En Los Talleres Lapidarios de La Ventilla, Teotihuacan, Arqueología (2007) no. 36, pp. 52-70

[22] Giovas, C. M. The Beasts at Large–Perennial Questions and New Paradigms for Caribbean Translocation Research. Part I: Ethnozoogeography of Mammals, Environmental Archaeology, Volume 24 (2019) no. 2, pp. 182-198 | DOI

[23] Gurova, M.; Bonsall, C.; Bar-Yosef Mayer, D. E.; Bonsall, C.; Choyke, A. M. Experimental Replication of Stone, Bone and Shell Beads from Early Neolithic Sites in Southeast Europe, Not Just for Show: The Archaeology of Beads, Beadwork and Personal Ornaments, Oxbow Books, Oxford, 2017, pp. 159-167

[24] Gwinnett, J.; Gorelick, L. Ancient Lapidary: A Study Using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Functional Analysis, Expedition: The magazine of the University of Pennsylvania, Volume 22 (1979) no. 1, pp. 17-32

[25] Gwinnett, A. J.; Gorelick, L. A Brief History of Drills and Drilling, BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers, Volume 10 (1998) no. 1, pp. 49-56

[26] Gwinnett, A. J.; Gorelick, L. The Change from Stone Drills to Copper Drills in Mesopotamia, Expedition, Volume 29 (1987) no. 3, p. 15

[27] Harrington, M. R. A West Indian Gem Center, Indian Notes, Volume 1 (1924) no. 4, pp. 184-189

[28] Haviser, J. B. Perforated Prehistoric Ornaments of Curaçao and Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers, Volume 2 (1990) no. 1, pp. 85-92

[29] Haviser, J. B. Preliminary Results from Test Excavations at the Hope Estate Site (SM-026), St. Martin, Proceedings of the 13th Congress of the International Association for Caribbean Archaeology, Curaçao, 1991, pp. 647-666

[30] Heizer, R. F.; Fogelson, R. Handbook of North American Indians, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., 1978

[31] Hirth, K. G.; Puche, M. C. S.; Arce, J.; León, J. D. Intermittent Domestic Lapidary Production during the Late Formative Period at Nativitas, Tlaxcala, Mexico, Housework: craft production and domestic economy in ancient Mesoamerica (2009), pp. 157-173

[32] Hofman, C. L.; de Jong, H.; Keegan, W. F.; Davies, G. R.; Kelly, H. J.; Newsom, L. A. Crossing the Borders: New Methods and Techniques in the Study of Archaeology Materials from the Caribbean, The University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, 2008

[33] Hofman, C. L. The Post-Saladoid in the Lesser Antilles (AD 600/800-1492), The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Archaeology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2013, pp. 205-220

[34] Kenoyer, J. M. The Indus Bead Industry: Contributions to Bead Technology, Ornament, Volume 10 (1986) no. 1, pp. 18-23

[35] Kenoyer, J. M. The Indus Valley Tradition of Pakistan and Western India, Journal of World prehistory, Volume 5 (1991) no. 4, pp. 331-385 | DOI

[36] Kenoyer, J. M.; Vidale, M. A New Look at Stone Drills of the Indus Valley Tradition, MRS Proceedings, Volume 267, Cambridge Univ Press, 1992, p. 495 | DOI

[37] Kenoyer, J. M. Trade and Technology of the Indus Valley: New Insights from Harappa, Pakistan, World Archaeology, Volume 29 (1997) no. 2, pp. 262-280

[38] Kenoyer, J. M. Using SEM to Study Stone Bead Technology, Stone Beads of South and Southeast Asia: Archaeology, Ethnography and Global Connections., Aryan Books International, 2017, pp. 405-433

[39] Knaf, A. C. S.; Habiba; Shafie, T.; Koornneef, J. M.; Hertwig, A.; Cárdenas-Párraga, J.; García-Casco, A.; Harlow, G. E.; Schertl, H. P.; Maresch, W. V.; López Belando, A. J.; Hofman, C. L.; Brandes, U.; Davies, G. R. Trace-Elemental and Multi-Isotopic (Sr-Nd-Pb) Discrimination of Jade in the Circum-Caribbean: Implications for Pre-Colonial Inter-Island Exchange Networks, Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 135 (2021), p. 105466 | DOI

[40] Knippenberg, S. Stone Artefact Production and Exchange among the Lesser Antilles, Amsterdam University Press, 2007

[41] Koch-Grünberg, T. Zwei Jahre Unter Den Indianern: Reisen in Nordwest-Brasilien 1903/1905, 2, E. Wasmuth, 1910

[42] Kuhn, S. L. Signaling Theory and Technologies of Communication in the Paleolithic, Biological Theor, Volume 9 (2014) no. 1, pp. 42-50 | DOI

[43] Leroi-Gourhan, A. L'homme et La Matière, Albin Michel, Paris, 1971

[44] Ludvik, G.; Kenoyer, J. M.; Pieniążek, M.; Aylward, W. New Perspectives on Stone Bead Technology at Bronze Age Tro, Anatolian Studies, Volume 65 (2015), pp. 1-18 | DOI

[45] Munan, H. Social Status Gradations Expressed in the Beadwork Patterns of Sarawak's Orang Ulu, BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers, Volume 7 (1995) no. 1, pp. 55-64

[46] Murphy, A. R.; Hozjan, D. J.; de Mille, C. N.; Levinson, A. A. Pre-Columbian Gems and Ornamental Materials from Antigua, West Indies, Gems and Gemology, Volume 36 (2000) no. 2, pp. 234-245 | DOI

[47] Napolitano, M. F.; DiNapoli, R. J.; Stone, J. H.; Levin, M. J.; Jew, N. P.; Lane, B. G.; O'Connor, J. T.; Fitzpatrick, S. M. Reevaluating Human Colonization of the Caribbean Using Chronometric Hygiene and Bayesian Modeling, Science Advances, Volume 5 (2019) no. 12 | DOI

[48] Narganes Storde, Y. M. La Lapidaria de La Hueca, Vieques, Puerto Rico, Proceedings of the 15th Congress of the International Association for Caribbean Archaeology, San Juan de Puerto Rico, 1995, pp. 141-151

[49] Narganes Storde, Y. M. La Lapidaria de Sorce, Vieques y Tecla, Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, Proceedings of the 16th Congress of the International Association for Caribbean Archaeology, Basse-Terre, 1999, pp. 17-26

[50] Nguru, M. M.; Maina, S. M. Social-Cultural Impact of Bead Work in East Africa: The Nexus between the Dinka, Samburu & Masaai Ethnicities, International Journal of Innovative Research and Development, Volume 9 (2020) no. 7

[51] Nobayashi, A. The Diversity of Taiwanese Indigenous Culture Seen in Bead Products, Senri Ethnological Studies, Volume 103 (2020), pp. 51-63 | DOI

[52] Pagán-Jiménez, J. R.; Rodríguez Ramos, R.; Reid, B. A.; van den Bel, M.; Hofman, C. L. Early Dispersals of Maize and Other Food Plants into the Southern Caribbean and Northeastern South America, Quaternary Science Reviews, Volume 123 (2015), pp. 231-246 | DOI

[53] Peresani, M.; Vanhaeren, M.; Quaggiotto, E.; Queffelec, A.; d'Errico, F. An Ochered Fossil Marine Shell From the Mousterian of Fumane Cave, Ital, PLoS ONE, Volume 8 (2013) no. 7, p. e68572 | DOI

[54] Pinchon, R. Introduction à l'archéologie Martiniquaise, Journal de la Société des Américanistes, Volume 41 (1952) no. 2, pp. 305-352

[55] Queffelec, A.; Fouéré, P.; Caverne, J.-B. A Database of Lapidary Artifacts in the Caribbean for the Ceramic Age, Journal of Open Archaeology Data, Volume 9 (2021), p. 11 | DOI

[56] Queffelec, A.; Fouéré, P.; Paris, C.; Stouvenot, C.; Bellot-Gurlet, L. Local Production and Long-Distance Procurement of Beads and Pendants with High Mineralogical Diversity in an Early Saladoid Settlement of Guadeloupe (French West Indies), Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 21 (2018), pp. 275-288 | DOI

[57] Queffelec, A.; Fouéré, P.; Bellot-Gurlet, L.; Bérard, B. Stone Ornaments from Guadeloupe and Martinique Early Ceramic Period Sites (200 BC – AD 400), Detailed Analysis and Comparison with a Late Ceramic Period Site (AD 750 – 1000), Journal of Caribbean Archaeology, Volume 20 (2020), pp. 1-44

[58] Raad, D. R.; Makarewicz, C. A. Application of XRD and Digital Optical Microscopy to Investigate Lapidary Technologies in Pre-Pottery Neolithic Societies, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 23 (2019), pp. 731-745 | DOI

[59] Radovčić, D.; Sršen, A. O.; Radovčić, J.; Frayer, D. W. Evidence for Neandertal Jewelry: Modified White-Tailed Eagle Claws at Krapina, PLoS One, Volume 10 (2015) no. 3, p. e0119802 | DOI

[60] Roth, W. E. An Introductory Study of the Arts, Crafts , and Customs of the Guiana Indians, Smithsonian Institutions, Washington, D.C. (1924) no. 38

[61] Roth, V. A Stone-Age Bead Factory on the Mahaica River, Timehri, Volume 26 (1944), pp. 42-48

[62] Roux, V.; Bril, B.; Dietrich, G. Skills and Learning Difficulties Involved in Stone Knapping: The Case of Stone-bead Knapping in Khambhat, India, World Archaeology, Volume 27 (1995) no. 1, pp. 63-87 | DOI

[63] Sela, A.; Roux, V. La Perforation Des Perles En Calcédoine: Approche Mécanique Des Techniques Harappéennes, Cornaline de l'Inde. Des pratiques techniques de Cambay aux techno-systèmes de l'Indus (2000), pp. 173-204

[64] Serrand, N.; Orsini, S.; Ribechini, E.; Casagrande, F. Bitumen Residue on a Late Ceramic Age Three-Pointer from Marie-Galante, Guadeloupe: Chemical Characterization and Ligature Evidence, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 21 (2018), pp. 243-258 | DOI

[65] Serrand, N. Exploitation des invertébrés marins et terrestres par les populations saladoïdes et post-saladoïdes du nord des petites Antilles (500 B.C. - 1200 A.D.) étude de cas et comparaisons, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris (2002)

[66] Serrand, N. Exploitation des invertébrés par les sociétés précolombiennes des Petites Antilles, Journal de la société des américanistes, Volume 92 (2007) no. 93-1, pp. 7-47 | DOI

[67] Serrand, N.; Bonnissent, D. Interacting Pre-Columbian Amerindian Societies and Environments: Insights from Five Millennia of Archaeological Invertebrate Record on the Saint-Martin Island (French Lesser Antilles), Environmental Archaeology (2018), pp. 1-16 | DOI

[68] Shmulsky, R.; Jones, P. D. Forest Products and Wood Science: An Introduction, Wiley-Blackwell, 2019

[69] Siegel, P. E. Continuity and Change in the Evolution of Religion and Political Organization on Pre-Columbian Puerto Rico, Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, Volume 29 (2010) no. 3, pp. 302-326 | DOI

[70] Siegel, P. E.; Severin, K. P. The First Documented Prehistoric Gold-Copper Alloy Artefact from the West Indies, Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 20 (1993) no. 1, pp. 67-79 | DOI

[71] Vanhaeren, M.; d'Errico, F. Aurignacian Ethno-Linguistic Geography of Europe Revealed by Personal Ornaments, Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 33 (2006) no. 8, pp. 1105-1128 | DOI

[72] Vanhaeren, M.; d'Errico, F.; Stringer, C.; James, S. L.; Todd, J. A.; Mienis, H. K. Middle Paleolithic Shell Beads in Israel and Algeria, Science, Volume 312 (2006) no. 5781, pp. 1785-1788 | DOI

[73] Vidale, M.; Shar, G. M. Zahr-Muhra: Soapstone-Cutting in Contemporary Baluchistan and Sindh, Annali dell Istituto Universitario Orientale di Napoli, Volume 50 (1990) no. 1, pp. 61-78

[74] Wallace, A. R. A Narrative of Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro, with an Account of the Native Tribes, and Observations on the Climate, Geology, and Natural History of the Amazon Valle, Ward, Lock & Co, London, New-York and Melbourne, 1889

[75] Watters, D. R. Maritime Trade in the Prehistoric Eastern Caribbean, The Indigenous People of the Caribbean, University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 1997, pp. 88-99

[76] Wiessner, P. Risk, Reciprocity and Social Influences on! Kung San Economics, Politics and history in band societies, Volume 61 (1982), p. 84

[77] Yang, M.; Yang, Y.; Wang, C. A New 3D Information Acquisition Method of Micro-Drilling Marks on Ancient Perforated Stone Bead through Micro-CT, Journal of X-ray science and technology, Volume 19 (2011) no. 3, pp. 333-343

Cited by Sources: