List members, I received the following request and am passing it on.
Hopefully someone on the list can help (my two specimens of S. galeatus are
at least 30 too old for her study).  If you can help, please respond to Dana
Jensen at:  [log in to unmask]  Thanks,

Tom E.


Mr. Eichhorst,
I am a PhD candidate in archaeology at Stanford, working on my doctoral
dissertation. I have been working at a site called Chavin de Huantar in
Peru, and over the past several seasons we have unearthed several Strombus
shell trumpets. The specimens, made from intricately-carved Strombus
galeatus, are probably suitable for several types of analysis including
carbon-14 dating and Oxygen isotope ratios. Drs. John Rick, Rob Dunbar, and
I are putting together a pilot study to assess the suitability of Strombus
galeatus for furthur analysis which is an important first step before we
begin to analyze the archaeological samples. I am interested in knowing if
you or any of your collegues have specimens of Strombus galeatus that may be
available for sampling. We are primarily interested in samples collected
after 1981 from known locations, though we can work with earlier specimens.
Our initial testing will involve X-Ray and/or (N)MRI imaging to assess shell
structure, and then shell carbonate sampling along a transect of the shell
using a .5mm drill. The sampling is almost completely non-destructive, and
specimes can be sampled at their current locations if need be. Anyway, if
you know of any specimens of S. galeatus that may be available for this type
of testing I would greatly appreciate your input. If successful, this type
of analysis on archaeological specimens could provide vital information
regarding the formation of social authority and climate change in the
prehistoric Andes.
Thank you for your time,
Dana E. Jensen
Dept. of Anthropological Sciences
Stanford University