Dentalium Shells Used by Hunter-Gatherers and Pastoralists in the Levant

Abstract

Dentalium shells have long been recognized as a hallmark of the Natufian Culture where they were used to decorate skulls (or heads). Little attention has been paid to Dentalium shells from earlier or later sites. The frequency of Dentalium in a shell assemblage and the length of the Dentalium beads may reflect changes in the availability of the raw material and changes in the degree of mobility of hunter-gatherer societies.