POST-NEOLITHIC SHELL

BEADS FROM ILLE CAVE, EL

NIDO, PALAWAN:
A CASE OF SPECIALIZATION?

Pauline Basilia, Angel Bautista and

Katherine Szabó
 THE SITE

The Ille Cave

is located in
the Dewil
Valley, New
Ibajay, El Nido
Palawan
 ILLE CAVE
EXCAVATIONS

WEST

EAST
 PHASES OF Based on Technological and
SHELL BEAD Morphological Analysis
MANUFACTURE
 PHASES OF
Based on Direct AMS
SHELL BEAD Radiocarbon Dating
MANUFACTURE
Material Provenance Age b.p.
Strombus canarium N3W12: 96-
disc bead 100cm
3596±40
Modified Nassarius N2W13: 70-
arcularius 80cm
2706±37
Specialized bead of
N6W3: 30-
unidentified marine
50cm
1325±38
shell
Cypraea sp. Nassarius spp.

NEOLITHIC

Strombus sp.
Pyrene sp.
POST-NEOLITHIC
QUESTION

Is there standardization in the

manufacture of the post-
neolithic beads?
OBJECTIVES
OF STUDY

Morphology Measuring Dimensions using a digital caliper

Manufacturing Techniques Examination of raw

material and technology to
create perforation
DIMENSIONS OF
THE SHELL BEAD

• Maximum Diameter
• Perforation Diameter
• Maximum Thickness
Measures
of
Dimension

•Maximum Diameter and Perforation

Diameter
•Maximum Thickness and Perforation
Diameter
•Statistical Variance of Perforation
Diameters
 Relationship of Maximum Diameter
and Perforation Diameter
Maximum Diameter

8
6
4 Perforation
2 Diameter

0
0 1 2 3 4
Perforation Diameter
 Relationship of Maximum Thickness
and Perforation Diameter

5
Thickness

4
Maximum

3
Perforation
2
Diameter
1
0
0 1 2 3 4
Perforation Diameter
Statistics of Perforation Diameter

Average 1.52
Standard
0.36
Deviation
Median 1.49

Mode 1.36

COV 24.45%
Standardization Morphology

• diameter (2.5-3.5mm)
• thickness (1 – 2mm)
• perforation (1 – 2mm)
 Workable pieces: to elicit fractures
to see microstuctures
EXPERIMENTS
Grinding using a grindstone of
quartz
Grinding by sandpaper and powertools with
sandpaper attachment
 Manufacture: The Raw Material
RESULTS
Probably
Tridacna sp. crossed-lamellar structure
Crossed-lamellar
Structure on the
Shell Bead
Standardized Crossed – Lamellar
Raw Material Structure
 CONCLUSION

Supports:

“Based on the Ille Cave evidence, the post-Neolithic

appears to be a highly dynamic period for shell
working…” (Szabo et al 2004).
 Extensive Shell Manufacturing Tradition:

Production Morphology
diameter,
thickness and
perforation
 Brumfiel and Earle’s (1987)
Commercial Development Model

Exchange of
Economic Specialization Goods (glass
Growth of Shell Beads beads, metal
tools)
END