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Identifying specialisation, production and exchange in the archaeological record: the case of shell bead manufacture on Motupore Island, Papua
Author(s) -
Allen Jim,
Holdaway Simon,
Fullagar Richard
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
archaeology in oceania
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1834-4453
pISSN - 0728-4896
DOI - 10.1002/j.1834-4453.1997.tb00367.x
Subject(s) - bead , craft , prehistory , archaeology , port (circuit theory) , geography , shell (structure) , stone tool , economic geography , engineering , civil engineering , mechanical engineering
Analyses of shell beads and stone drillpoints from Motupore Island, near Port Moresby, PNG contribute to the debate about the specialised role of the site in a prehistoric exchange network as well as to theoretical discussions concerning the relationship between craft specialisation and social stratification. The presence of drillpoints, which are specialised and efficient tools for making beads, demonstrates a level of technological efficiency expected with trading systems. Studies of the spatial patterning of drillpoints, shell beads, and grinding slabs on the site and in the region, along with usewear and residue research, and statistical analyses of the artifacts are carried out. These data demonstrate that shell bead manufacture represents village level craft specialisation and was a significant part of Motupore's economy throughout its history. Finally, the paper shows that village level specialised production need not imply institutionalised social differentiation.