Jackson was writing in 1917, and carbon-dating wasn't invented until 1947.

Having said which, there was a whole generation of anthropologists
studying and writing between the wars, when there was no reliable dating
system of any kind, but they managed to collect an amazing amount of data
on the areas where common cultural items were used (like Hornell on boats,
and outriggers, single and double, Jett on blowpipes - used in SE Asia, on
a couple of islands N of New Guinea, and a whole area of S America, and
quite a few more, whose names I forget, who looked at basket-weaving
methods, pot-making, etc).

Someone in one of the messages here mentioned mollusc purple dye - that
was used in Mexico (before the Spanish) as well as in the more familiar
Tyre and Sidon of Phoenicia.

Most of their stuff has now been forgotten (too old-fashioned) while
modern achaeologists don't dig very much, but maunder around museum
collections picking up things like a couple of 'lost' shells, so they call
on Henk Mienis to tell them what they are. That's how they found out that
Nassarius shells were being used for jewellery in Turkey and Algeria only
a bit later (or perhaps a bit earlier) than they were used in South
Africa, nearly 70,000 years ago.

I argue, from Nassarius' resemblance to C. moneta, that they were using
the next best thing to cowries, but Henk disagrees with me. I am waiting
for the moment when he is called in to look at shells from an East African
site of about that time.

It's a good idea not to rely too much on the fashionably 'new'
anthropology/archaeology, but to resurrect the sheer breadth of knowledge
that the 'oldies' had.

regards

Richard Parker
Siargao Island, The Philippines.

My website at www.coconutstudio.com is about the island and its people,
coastal early humans, fishing, coconuts, bananas and whatever took my
fancy at the time.

PS I envy Henk Mienis in being able to pop into Jerusalem to look at a
book. My nearest library of any use at all is in Manila, 4 days' voyage
away. And Jerusalem is one of the most wonderful cities in the world.

Henk - is that little bakery in a basement, just off an alley to the left
as you come through the Damascus Gate, still there? I had one of the best
fresh-cooked 'real' pizzas I've ever eaten, in that little shop, 30 years
ago, and whenever I've been back, that was my first stop.

------------------------------------------------
On Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:49:01 -0400, Harry G. Lee <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Dear David et al.,
>
>I am untutored in archaeology and anthropology, but I am interested
>in the discussion of pre-Columbian Cypraea (eg C. moneta) in North
America.
>
>This forum has discussed the prehistoric uses of shells by man
>(Nassarius kraussianus in Southern Africa; N. gibbosulus in the
>Levant, Spondylus princeps in western America) and
>chronostratigraphy, or whatever the archaeological equivalent for
>that discipline is called, was taken into consideration.
>
>I agree with David that it would take a much more compelling argument
>based on cultural-anthropological observations to place these
>Indo-West Pacific cowries in the pre-Columbian New World, and I am
>surprised at the apparent lack of chronostratigraphy brought to bear
>on as validation/refutation of Jackson's hypothesis. Where's the
>Carbon 14 and the more traditional archaeology?
>
>Harry
>
>
>At 12:58 PM 4/23/2007, you wrote:
>>>I think there is no doubt concerning the correct identification of the
>>>Cowries since they were carried out by Pilsbry and Dall. The problem is
the
>>>interpretation: Since when did North American indians use the Money
cowry
>>>for their ceremonies, etc.? After Columbus or already before he reached
the
>>>Americas.
>>
>>The choice of cowries as a trade item was not random.  They are shiny
>>and appealing.  Thus, they would quickly enter the trade network, just
>>as other European items such as metal, colored beads, guns, horses
>>etc. did.  (Not to mention smallpox, Y chromosomes, etc.)  Likewise,
>>items developed within the Americas could spread rapidly, such as
>>corn.  I believe that there are myths on the origin of corn in North
>>America not too different from the myth cited for the origin of cowrie
>>shells.  Seashells were widely traded in pre-Columbian America.
>>There's also the fact that Columbus thought he was getting to Asia,
>>where cowries were known to be popular.  Given the complexity of trade
>>routes, the origin of the shells would be difficult to trace for
>>anyone at several removes from the source, so speculation on their
>>origin would not be surprising.
>>
>>Some of the parallels invoked by Jackson between Asian and American
>>customs seem weak.  Rituals associated in some fashion with death are
>>commonplace, and putting something in the mouth is not a very unusual
>>idea.  On the other hand, despite the millenia of separation, the
>>closest relatives of the Native American cultures would have been
>>northeast Asian cultures.  It's possible that existing rituals using a
>>pebble, a native shell, etc. was modified when the appealing new
>>shells came along.
>>
>>--
>>Dr. David Campbell
>>425 Scientific Collections
>>University of Alabama
>>"I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"
>

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