180 California Indian Olivella Shell Beads 2000 BC (02/16/2008)

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180 California Indian Olivella Shell Beads 2000 BC

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180 California Indian Olivella Shell Beads 2000 BC

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Sold Date: 02/16/2008
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

California Olivella Shell beads. 2000 BC. T is 180 beads. Sizes vary 8 x 4 mm. All are in a Museum Display

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This type of bead consists of various sized Olivella biplicata shells that have been modified at their spire end by grinding or chipping the spire away in a manner generally perpendicular to the long axis of the shell. Fifty-eight specimens exhibit chipping to remove the spire, with the remaining examples being ground. While about half of the medium and large diameter beads had chipped spires, only 4 of 54 examples with small diameters (less than 6 mm diameter) had chipped spires.

This type of bead is the most common and general type which was produced and traded throughout most of California and the Great Basin for at least the past 7,000 years. Various sized shells were employed in different time periods:

Rectangular beads of Olivella , abalone nacre, and mussel shell have been found in Early Period context (3000 to 7000 years B.P.) in central California and the Great Basin as well as Santa Barbara Channel (Bennyhoff and Heizer 1958:63, 64). Rectangular beads of Olivella biplicata wall pieces have been found in context from all known phases of the Early Period in the Santa Barbara Channel. The beads from the Ex context at CA-SRI-3 and CA-SBA-142 have rounded corners and are similar in size and shape to rectangular saddle beads found in central California during the Late Middle Period. The Olivella rectangles from Phases Ey and Ez context usually have squared corners. Phase Ey Olivella rectangles tend to be larger than those from Ex context and are generally larger than those used during Phase Ez (King 1981:178).

A few drilled Olivella rectangles were evidently used during Phase 1 of the Middle Period (M1) (2800 to 3400 years B.P.) in the Santa Barbara Channel. In southern California rectangular beads were apparently not used after Phase M1. In central California rectangular Olivella beads were again used during the Late Phase of the Middle Period and Phase 1 of the Late Period, although rectangular beads of abalone and mussel shell were not used during these later periods

PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF SHELL BEAD ANALYSIS FOR CA-SLO-877,
CAYUCOS, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

Robert O. Gibson