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INTRODUCTION
MaterialsandManufacturingTechniQues
Temodesofproducingandprocessingvariousmaterialsisoneoftheparametersof
asociety)stechnologicallevelanddevelopment.Testudyofjewelrymaterialsand
fabricationtechniquesisintegraltowardsanunderstandingofthejeweler)scraf.
Tesourceofmaterialsusedinjewelrymanufacturemaygiveanindicationoftrade
contactsandmayhelptoassesschangingpoliticaloreconomicforcesandtradepatterns.
Techoiceofmaterialsreflectsnotonlytheiravailability,butalsotheeasewithwhich
theycouldbeworked,theirintendeduseandtheirmeaning,asdilerentmaterialshad
specificculticsignificanceandwerebelievedtohaveprotectivepowers.Insomecases,the
symbolicsignificancewasprimaryanddeterminedthetypeofmaterialchosen.Awareness
oftheinherentphysicalqualitiesofmaterialswasalsoenhancedbytheirmythological
associationsandsupposedmagicalproperties.Althoughtheaestheticappearance,rarity
anddurabilityofmaterialsmayhaveledthemtobecategorizedasprecious,itwasalsothe
factthattheywererecognizedassuchthatprovidedthemwithsymbolicsignificance.
Tematerialsandtechniquesusedinjewelrymanufactureareanexpressionof
Ctechnologicalchoice)thatwasmadebythesocietyandthecrafsmanproducingthe
jewelry.Technologicalchoicesderivefromavarietyofoptionsandareareflectionnotonly
ofspecificfunctionalneeds,butalsoofsocialconstructsandsymbolism.Tesechoicesare
alsoameansofnon-verbalcommunicationusedbyasocietytoconveymessages,ascribe
powersorolerprotectiontotheindividual.
CulturalTransmission
Impact,adoptionandassimilationofnewculturaltraitsisreflected,amongothers,inthe
technologicalandstylisticqualitiesofjewelry.Asoneoftheelementsofasociety)smaterial
culture,andbecauseofitsapotropaicnature,thejeweler)scrafincludestraditional
symbols,forms,motifsandstylesofdecoration.Tesemaybedevelopedexclusivelyby
onesociety,butareofenadoptedandadapted,whollyorpartially,throughinteraction
withothercultures.Mechanismsofinteractionmayincludetrade,politicalandeconomic
influence,diplomaticgifexchange,conquestortribute,culturalintermingling,shared
beliefsortransmissionbyimmigrant,itinerantorhired-outcrafsmen.
Allthesesubjectsarebutsomeofthetopicsthatresearchofancientjewelrymaytouch
upon,sothatthepotentialinherentintheirstudyappearstovirtuallyeclipsetheirsmall
size.Tepresentbookincludestwelvearticlesdealingwiththestudyofjewelryitems
throughtheirarchaeologicalandculturalcontexts.Tediscussedfindsoriginatefrom
dilerentgeographicregionsoftheancientNearEast,comprisingEgypt,theLevant,
Anatolia,Mesopotamia,theGulfandtheCaucasus,andfromanextendedtimespan,
fromthe6thtothe1stmillenniumBC.Tevariousarticlestouchonmanyofthetopics
mentionedaboveandoleraglimpseastowhatcanbegleanedfromresearchonancient
jewelryobjects.
IliaHeitpresentstheresultsofthisstudyofashellbeadworkshopfromtheNeolithic
siteofMPS4intheMilPlaininAzerbaijan.Tebeadsfromthesitewereproduced
ofshellthatwasnotavailablelocally,despiteavailabilityofothermaterialssuitablefor
ornamentation.Tisfactraisedintriguingquestionsregardingthesignificanceofaspecific
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PAM23/2:SpecialStudies
