The Natufian Audio-Visual Bone Pendants from Hayonim Cave

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NOT JUST FOR SHOW

NOT JUST FOR SHOW
The ArchAeology of BeAds, BeAdwork
And PersonAl ornAmenTs
Edited by
DANIELLA E. BAR-YOSEF MAYER,
CLIVE BONSALL And ALICE M. CHOYKE
AN OFFPRINT FROM
Hardback Edition: ISBN 978-1-78570-692-9
Digital Edition: ISBN 978-1-78570-693-6 (epub)
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Mayer, Daniella Bar-Yosef, editor. | Bonsall, Clive, editor. | Choyke,
Alice Mathea, editor.
Title: Not just for show : the archaeology of beads, beadwork and personal
ornaments / edited by Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer, Clive Bonsall and Alice
M. Choyke.
Description: Philadelphia : Oxbow Books, 2017. | Includes bibliographical
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9781785706936 (epub) | ISBN 9781785706943 (mobi) | ISBN 9781785706950
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Subjects: LCSH: Beads. | Beadwork. | Decoration and ornament. | Antiquities.
| Social archaeology.
Classication: LCC GT2250 (ebook) | LCC GT2250 .N68 2017 (print) | DDC
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Front cover and spine: Selection of beads from Ypenburg (B.Grishaver).
Back cover: Tear-shaped bone pendants, Hayonim Cave (D. Shaham).

Contents
List of Contributors vii
1. Introduction: The Archaeology of Beads, Beadwork and Personal Ornaments 1
Alice M. Choyke and Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer
PART 1: SOCIO-CULTURAL REFLECTIONS
2. Traditions and Change in Scaphopod Shell Beads in Northern Australia from the Pleistocene to the Recent Past 7
Jane Balme and Sue O’Connor
3. Magdalenian “Beadwork Time” in the Paris Basin (France): Correlation between Personal Ornaments and
the Function of Archaeological Sites 19
Caroline Peschaux, Grégory Debout, Olivier Bignon-Lau and Pierre Bodu
4. Personal Adornment and Personhood among the Last Mesolithic Foragers of the Danube Gorges in the
Central Balkans and Beyond 39
Emanuela Cristiani and Dušan Borić
5. Ornamental Shell Beads as Markers of Exchange in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B of the Southern Levant 69
Ashton J. Spatz
6. Games, Exchange, and Stone: Hunter-Gatherer Beads at Home 81
Emily Mueller Epstein
PART 2: AUDIO AND VISUAL SOCIAL CUES
7. The Natuan Audio-Visual Bone Pendants from Hayonim Cave 95
Dana Shaham and Anna Belfer-Cohen
8. Bead Biographies from Neolithic Burial Contexts: Contributions from the Microscope 103
Annelou van Gijn
9. The Tutankhamun Beadwork: An Introduction to Archaeological Beadwork Analysis 115
Jolanda E. M. F. Bos
PART 3: METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES
10. A Mother-of-Pearl Shell Pendant from Nexpa, Morelos 129
Adrián Velázquez-Castro, Patricia Ochoa-Castillo, Norma Valentín-Maldonado, and Belem Zúñiga-Arellano
11. Detailing the Bead-Maker: Reectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) of Steatite Disk Beads from
Prehistoric Napa Valley, California 136
Tsim D. Schneider and Lori D. Hager

Contents
vi
PART 4: EXPERIMENTATION AND TECHNOLOGY
12. Experimental Replication of Stone, Bone and Shell Beads from Early Neolithic Sites in Southeast Europe 159
Maria Gurova and Clive Bonsall
13. The Reproduction of Small Prehistoric Tusk Shell Beads 168
Greg Campbell

List of Contributors
JAne BAlme Archaeology M257, University of Western
Australia, 35 Stirling Highway Crawley, WA, Australia
6009 (jane.balme@uwa.edu.au)
dAniellA e. BAr-yosef mAyer The Steinhardt Museum
of Natural History and Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv
University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel, (baryosef@post.tau.ac.il)
and Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology,
Harvard University, Cambridge MA 02138, USA
AnnA Belfer-cohen Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew
University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem 91905,
Israel (bleferac@mscc.huji.ac.il)
olivier Bignon-lAu Maison de l’Archéologie et de
l’Ethnologie-René Ginouvès, UMR 7041 ArScAn du
CNRS, équipe Ethnologie Préhistorique, Paris, France
(olivier.bignon@mae.u-paris10.fr)
Pierre Bodu Maison de l’Archéologie et de l’Ethnologie-René
Ginouvès, UMR 7041 ArScAn du CNRS, équipe Ethnologie
Préhistorique, Paris, France (pierre.bodu@mae.cnrs.fr)
clive BonsAll School of History, Classics and Archaeology,
University of Edinburgh, Old Medical School, Teviot Place,
Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK (C.Bonsall@ed.ac.uk)
Dušan Borić Department of Archaeology and Conservation,
SHARE, Cardiff University, Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10
3EU, UK (boricd@cardiff.ac.uk)
JolAndA e.m.f. Bos BLKVLD&Bos, Patrijzenstraat
11, 2042 CL Zandvoort, the Netherlands (jolandabos@
blikveld.nl)
greg cAmPBell 150 Essex Road, Southsea, Hants, PO4 8DJ,
UK (g.v.campbell@btinternet.com)
Alice m. choyke Central European University, Medieval
Studies Department, Nador u. 9, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
(choyke@ceu.edu)
emAnuelA crisTiAni McDonald Institute for Archaeological
Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street,
Cambridge CB1 3ER, UK (ec484@cam.ac.uk)
grégory deBouT Service Archéologique Départemental des
Yvelines. Maison de l’Archéologie et de l’Ethnologie-René
Ginouvès, UMR 7041 ArScAn du CNRS, équipe Ethnologie
Préhistorique, Paris, France (GDebout@yvelines.fr)
Annelou vAn giJn Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden
University, PB 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands (a.l.van.
gijn@arch.leidenuniv.nl)
mAriA gurovA National Institute of Archaeology and
Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Saborna Str.,
1000 Soa, Bulgaria (gurovam@yahoo.fr)
lori d. hAger Pacic Legacy, Inc., Berkeley, CA 94707
emily mueller ePsTein Commonwealth Heritage Group,
3225 Central Street, Dexter, MI 48130, USA (emily.
epstein@chg-inc.com)
sue o’connor Archaeology and Natural History, College
of Asia and the Pacic, The Australian National University,
ACT, Australia 0200 (sue.oconnor@anu.edu.au)
PATriciA ochoA-cAsTillo Museo Nacional de Antropología,
Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Av. Paseo de
la Reforma y calzada Gandhi s/n, Col. Chapultepec Polanco,
México D.F. 11560 (patricia_ochoa_cast@yahoo.com)
cAroline PeschAux Université de Paris 1 Panthéon-
Sorbonne. Maison de l’Archéologie et de l’Ethnologie-René
Ginouvès, UMR 7041 ArScAn du CNRS, équipe Ethnologie
Préhistorique, Paris, France (caroline.peschaux@mae.u-
paris10.fr)
Tsim d. schneider Department of Anthropology, University
of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (tdschnei@ucsc.edu)

List of Contributors
viii
dAnA shAhAm Institute of Archaeology The Hebrew
University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem 91905,
Israel (dana.shaham@mail.huji.ac.il)
AshTon J. sPATz College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd.,
Glen Ellyn, IL. 60137, USA (ajspatz@gmail.com); Moraine
Valley Community College, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos
Hills, IL. 60465, USA
normA vAlenTín-mAldonAdo Subdirección de Laboratorio
y Apoyo Académico, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e
Historia, Moneda 16, Centro Histórico, México D.F. 06060
(nvalentinm@hotmail.com)
Adrián velázquez-cAsTro Museo del Templo Mayor,
Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Seminario 8,
Centro Histórico, México D.F. 06060 (adrianveca@yahoo.
com)
Belem zúñigA-ArellAno 7ª Temporada del Proyecto
Templo Mayor, Museo del Templo Mayor, Seminario 8,
Centro Histórico, México D.F. 06060 (belem_zu@yahoo.
com)

Part 2
Audio and Visual Social Cues

7
The Natuan Audio-Visual Bone Pendants from Hayonim Cave
Dana Shaham and Anna Belfer-Cohen
The Background
The Natuan archaeological entity (ca. 15,000–11,500
cal BP) shows unique cultural phenomena, reected in its
material remains (e.g. durable stone-built structures, intense
occupation layers, graveyards, rich bone industries etc.).
Altogether these various lines of evidence were recognized
as an indication of growing social complexity – part of
the social transformations that accompanied the transition
from Paleolithic to Neolithic life ways (Bar-Yosef 1983,
2002; Belfer-Cohen 1991a; Garrod 1957; Hayden 2004;
Valla 1995).
Prominent among the Natuan material remains is what
has been considered in the eyes of modern researchers as
evidence for intense and constant artistic activity, largely
absent from the archaeological record of preceding periods
in the Levant (Bar-Yosef 1997; Belfer-Cohen 1988a; Belfer-
Cohen and Bar-Yosef 2009; Garrod 1932; Valla 1999). The
Natuan art objects can be divided into several categories:
freestanding items (like gurines or incised slabs), decorated
tools and ornaments.
Decorated burials are a specic practice that has been
identied in several Natuan sites, where some of the
skeletal remains, mostly in Early Natuan contexts, had
been richly adorned with ornaments made of scaphopod
shell (or tusk shell, sometimes referred to as Dentalium),
bones or animal teeth, for example in el-Wad Cave (Garrod
and Bate 1937; Weinstein-Evron 1998), Eynan (Perrot and
Ladiray 1988) and Hayonim Cave (Belfer-Cohen 1988c).
This practice triggered enquiries into the socio-cultural
aspects of the Natuan, such as: (a) the question of social
stratication (e.g. Byrd and Monahan 1995; Wright 1978);
(b) socio-economic aspects concerning the manufacture
of ornaments, their use and distribution (e.g. Le Dosseur
2006 and references therein); (c) the meaning of the
differences observed in the various chronological phases
(e.g. Belfer-Cohen 1988b; Stordeur 1991); and (d) the
implication of inter-site variability of ornaments for issues
of group identity (e.g. Noy and Brimer 1980; Pichon 1983;
Stordeur 1981).
However, the ornamental items themselves have inherent
characteristics of their own – their artistic qualities, particular
contexts and arrangements and, as will be suggested herein,
in some cases they have, besides the apparent visual aspect,
acoustic qualities.
Abstract: The Natuan archaeological entity in the Levant (15,000–11,500 cal BP) shows evidence of unique
behavioral and cultural phenomena, reected in its material remains. The various lines of evidence were
recognized as valid indicators of growing social complexity. Decorated burials are a specic Natuan practice
identied in several sites. At Hayonim Cave some skeletal remains had been richly adorned with ornaments.
The present case study deals with the decorations from Grave VII at Hayonim Cave that comprise tear-shaped
pendants made from gazelle bones. A specic arrangement of the pendants around the pelvis of H.9 suggests they
were part of an object that potentially had an acoustic effect. The study of these pendants through a comparative
approach of art research along with musicological-organological considerations provided interesting insights.
An articulated visual-artistic and acoustic-musicological feature can be dened which also articulates with
specic cultural behavior related to the production of these pendants. Further discussion illuminates the role
of arts as a particular cultural mechanism in the formation of social complexity.

Dana Shaham and Anna Belfer-Cohen
96
The Study
Framework – An Aesthetic Approach
The present study deals with a group of bone pendants that
adorned a Natuan burial at Hayonim Cave (Fig. 7.1). It
is based on research that was developed to adjust methods
inherent in art history for the study of Natuan art (Shaham
2013). Accordingly, an inductive approach and a comparative
method accompanied formal descriptions and style analyses.
It enables evaluation of the artistic dimensions of objects, as
well as the identication of distinct styles and various modes
of art creation. In previous studies, the present authors had
dened at least two modi in Hayonim Cave: an “action-
modus” and a “formal modus” (Shaham and Belfer-Cohen
2013). A group of incised stone and bone items belonging
to the “action modus” variety shares visual qualities that
give an impression of an active depiction; it seems the
very action of depiction carried even more importance
than the nal result, which is almost unseen. The “formal
modus,” on the other hand, is characterized by geometric
organized compositions. Items in this group are more pre-
planned, clear and coherent. These traits characterize a more
conventional creation; they also present simpler structure
for perception. Thus, the visual attributes of art objects from
Hayonim Cave reect creation in distinct social activities,
portray different interactive values, and were (and still are)
perceived by different means.
Location and Context – Hayonim Cave
Hayonim Cave is located in western Galilee, Israel. Two
series of excavations were carried out on site (for history
of excavations, see Bar-Yosef et al. 2005). The Natuan
was the last prehistoric occupation in the cave, capping
Mousterian, Aurignacian and Kebaran habitations. The
rounded structures and the built graves distinguish the
Natuan layer from the preceding layers. The very small
structures (unsuitable for living) along with special
installations, the abundance of graves and the meager
lithic assemblage, indicate that the cave was used for
specic, mostly non-domestic activities (Belfer-Cohen
and Bar-Yosef 2012). Most of the Natuan nds from the
rst series of excavations (1964–1979) were published
by A. Belfer-Cohen (1988c, 1991b), while the material
from the second series of excavations (1992–2000) is yet
to be published.
Beads and pendants are abundant in the Natuan levels
of Hayonim Cave, predominant are scaphopod shell beads
and among a variety of other ornaments are beads made
from partridge tibio-tarsus that have been reported in small
numbers from only few other sites (Belfer-Cohen 1988c).
The most common types of pendants are tear-shaped
bone pendants and perforated fox teeth, found in other
Natuan assemblages as well, though in frequencies that
vary from site to site (Belfer-Cohen 1988c). Certain types
of jewelry are rare in Hayonim Cave, or absent altogether
(e.g. beads made from gazelle phalanges; Belfer-Cohen
1988c). Besides inter-site variability of jewelry types
and frequencies, diachronic variations are also evident at
Hayonim Cave (Belfer-Cohen 1988c). In Early Natuan
levels most of the personal ornaments were found in
burials, while in the Late Natuan levels they have been
recovered from the activity areas, at the fringes of the burial
ground in the cave. Some of the Early Natuan burials in
Hayonim Cave had been richly adorned, for example H.9
in Grave VII.
Grave VII – The Bone Pendants
Grave VII is a burial of a male (H.11) and young female
(H.9) (pregnant? – there were remains of a fetus/new
born among her bones; Belfer-Cohen 1988b) lying side
by side with a young child at their feet. Fifty-two bone
pendants arranged as a row of couples of pendants facing
each other, were found around the pelvis of H.9, evidently
part of a belt (Fig. 7.2). These bone pendants belong to
the formal modus, namely they are a pre-planned, clear
and coherent creation. They are made from long bones of
gazelle, which was the main Natuan hunted animal (e.g.
Munro 2001); each bone was split lengthwise and from
each half several blanks were cut. Then, the tear-shape was
created by a polishing technique (for detailed description
of the production procedures, see Le Dosseur 2006:g.
93). This specic shape follows an abstract convention,
not constrained by the morphology of the raw material.
Comparison with other jewelry types shows that the bone
pendants are actually the extreme instance on the scale
of “conventional” shape vs. the natural form of the raw
material; thus, scaphopod shell beads were made simply
by slicing the shell into thin or thick segments, their
shape preserving most of the original features of the shell
morphology. To create the fox teeth pendants, the Natuans
perforated the tooth root and probably slightly polished
the entire tooth surface to achieve a smooth, unied
appearance, with the nal form being a mere elaboration
of the natural shape of the tooth. The same is true for the
partridge tibio-tarsi beads – the bone was polished and the
distal end was cut, and the nal product is but a reduction
of its original raw material.
The “tear-shaped” pendants have a clear geometric form,
delicately modied and polished to perfection. Thus, its
aesthetic features of symmetry, simplicity and sheen are
perceptually attractive.1 Clearly, they also portray a high
1 The articulation of specic morphological (aesthetic) qualities
with perceptual mechanisms is well demonstrated; for
example, the cognitive preference of vertical symmetry
(e.g. Arnheim 1969) or the visual attractiveness of sheen
(e.g. references in Saunders 2003:17).

7. The Natuan Audio-Visual Bone Pendants from Hayonim Cave 97
level of standardization manifested by repeated production
of many, almost identical, items. Moreover, this standard
manufacture is not restricted to the Natuans of Hayonim
Cave, as identical items were retrieved from other Natuan
base camps, e.g. Kebara Cave, el-Wad and Eynan (Garrod
and Bate 1937; Turville-Petre 1932; Valla et al. 1998).
Besides their inherent visual qualities, the context of
these bone pendants (in Grave VII) illuminates another
aspect. Since they comprised a “chain” around the hips,
the probable friction of the pendants had an acoustic value.
As such, the pendants could have represented an audio-
visual object (i.e. an object which has visual qualities as
well as acoustic qualities). It is of interest to note that
other decorated burials from the site show various levels
of sound feasibility (in each case, according to the jewelry
type, composition and number of specimens). Some jewelry
did not produce any sound, as for example when only a
few beads are present, or when there is an admixture of
pendants and scaphopod shell “spacers” (e.g. Grave III and
Grave VI; Belfer-Cohen 1988b). Friction of small and light
beads produced most probably faint sounds (as in the case
of Homo 17, decorated only with scaphopod shell beads;
or Homo 25, decorated with partridge tibio-tarsal beads;
Belfer-Cohen 1988b). Conversely, the tear-shaped pendant
“chains” produced a distinct rattling sound, raising the issue
of archaeomusicology.
Archaeomusicology
The exploration of archaeomusicology begins with
the identication of acoustic instruments within their
archaeological context (Buckley 1998; Lund 1998). One
method of identication is an examination through a set
of evaluative criteria developed by d’Errico and Lawson
(2006), among them: (1) feasibility, (2) ethnographical
parallels, (3) ancient documentary support (text or image),
(4) contemporary archeological support, and (5) efciency
(for details, see d’Errico and Lawson 2006). Following the
identication of “acoustic instruments,” the organological
classication – the Sachs and Hornbostel (S/H) scheme
(Hornbostel and Sachs 1961) – provides a useful way to
evaluate and formalize the means of producing sounds and
their cultural perception. It is an abstraction of the cultural
and musical dimensions inherent in different tools, when
the classication is based on those features that can be
identied from the visible form of the instrument itself.
Musical instruments are dened as artifacts that organize
the vibration that produces sound, and they are divided
into four main groups (“families”):2 (1) idiophones,
2 Each group is further sub-divided by different principles
according to the particular nature of the group concerned
(Hornbostel and Sachs 1961).
(2) membranophones, (3) chordophones, and (4) aerophones
(Hornbostel and Sachs 1961). Associated issues are the
morpho-technical structure, production techniques and
performance. Additionally, archaeomusicology deals with
the wider implications of the musical activity: its social
role, meaning, cultural symbolism and even the emotional
aspects and mental processes implied (Buckley 1998;
Lund 1998).
The Musical Dimension of the Bone Pendants
The bone pendants in Grave VII were found in pairs,
indicating their original castanets-like arrangement, which
enhances the acoustic effect during dancing movements.
Their identical size and plano-convex section suggest they
were ideal for striking against each other. Their form seems
particularly suitable for such clapping sounds since their
lower parts are somewhat thicker and thus quite resonant.
Organological classification (Hornbostel and Sachs
1961) denes this pendant-belt as a strung rattle, a shaken
idiophone – an instrument made of several hard objects that
are strung on cords or tied in a bunch. Ethnomusicological
examinations suggest it is among the earliest instruments
known (Baines 1992; Sachs 1940; Sadie 1984); its purpose
was to accentuate dancing. Suspended from the dancer’s
body the strung-rattles respond to the dance movements
with a sharp noise and accurate rhythm (Sachs 1940:25–26).
Though restricted by shape, its highly exible performance
(by single/group dancers; in various arrangements: as
bracelets, “belts,” anklets) can be culturally, or sub-
culturally, coded.
Rhythmical music is based on tempo, the most common
and the most important factor among the musical cues
for emotions (Gabrielsson and Lindström 2001; Hevner
1937; Holbrook and Anand 1990). Its strong association
with dance (rhythmic motions that accompany and indeed
produce rhythmical music) involves not just the auditory
system but the somatosensory and motor systems as well.
Rhythmically repeated motions are the strongest basis for
cooperation, because they are predictable by others, and
others can thereby anticipate and move in accord with
their expectations. Moreover, ndings of anthropologists
and psychiatrists show how rhythmic behavioral activities
induced by beats of music can lead to altered states of
consciousness, through which mutual trust among members
of societies is engendered (Freeman 2001).3
3 Music has the power to induce and modulate different
emotional states, and these states are accompanied by release
of neurohormones in affected brains (Freeman 2001). But we
can specify different types of arousal in response to different
modes of music (Becker 2001). Rhythmical music induces
emotional states that are associated with intracranial release
of dopamine and endorphins (Freeman 2001).

Dana Shaham and Anna Belfer-Cohen
98
Juslin 2001). By acoustical cues to arouse emotions, it has
the power to induce and modulate different emotional states
(Freeman 2001), or even to be a catalyst for changing states
of consciousness (Becker 2001).
In spite of this distinct nature of each art form, the
strung rattle comprised of bone pendants is an audio-
visual object that integrates acoustic and visual traits,
an articulation based upon a shared feature that may be
termed “communality.” Its visual attributes (e.g. a shape
directed by a convention and inherent formal qualities
like symmetry and sheen), in addition to the tempo-
based rhythmical music, and the nature of the dance-
constrained performance, altogether reect “commonality”
in perception and participation.
The intertwined and complementary musical and visual
traits indicate shared roles in social interactions and
communication; thus the audio-visual object was most
probably an active device of ritualized behavior.
“Ritualization” is an ethological term (e.g. Huxley
1966), that denes the process in which components of
a mundane behavior that is part of everyday activity, are
taken out of context, “ritualized,” and used to signal an
entirely different motivation, which may then inuence the
behavior of another party. Compared to the original mundane
behavior, ritualized movements become “extraordinary;” the
resulting signal attracts attention, and becomes prominent
and distinctive.
Human ceremony, with its associated and necessary
arts, has obvious parallels with the biological display of
ritualized signals (although the former were culturally
created, in contrast to the ritualized behaviors of animals,
which are instinctive). The ceremonial displays establish
a formalized framework of interaction that participants
recognize as such; they literally embody in communal
participation the mutual coordination they presuppose
(Dissanayake 2006). While other aspects of the Natuan
art (e.g. scaphopod shell decorations, incised slabs, etc.)
may have had a role in ceremonies, the audio-visual objects
present the strongest evidence of ritualization. Once visual
representational, informative and expressive qualities
integrate with musical regularity of time and instrumental
emotional alteration, they create and establish articial
realities of knowledge, space and time. Thus, one might
ask which behaviors and their social contexts might be
the substrate for cultural recombination and elaboration.
Bearing in mind the limits of the archaeological record
of past behaviors, the materials at hand and their socio-
cultural contexts might illustrate the substrate of the
Natuan ritualization.
Gazelle was the most heavily exploited species by the
Natuans (e.g. Munro 2001); its hunting was a common
practice, and there is evidence for regular exploitation patterns
(e.g. Bar-Oz et al. 2004; Campana and Crabtree 1990).
Figure 7.1 Tear-shaped bone pendants, Hayonim Cave (photos
by D. Shaham).
Articulation of Aesthetic (Visual) and Musical
Qualities
Both visual art and music are socio-cultural phenomena; both
are, among others, an expressive means of communication.
But while visual art is oriented toward communication of
feelings, information, meanings and conventions, creating
physical representations by visual manipulations (e.g.
Berlyne 1971; Gombrich 1961; Feldman 1987), music is
a specialized medium for communication of emotions by
sound manipulations, generating temporal regularity (e.g.
Cross and Woodruff 2009; McDermott and Hauser 2005).
Music is often understood as communicating only emotions,
having a limited information capacity, ultimately leaving it
to the listeners to specify its precise “meaning” (Fitch 2006;

7. The Natuan Audio-Visual Bone Pendants from Hayonim Cave 99
Figure 7.2 Plan of Grave VII in Hayonim Cave (after Belfer-Cohen 1988c).

Dana Shaham and Anna Belfer-Cohen
100
Accordingly, the strung rattles reect a triple articulation:
audio-visual attributes portraying a common and
characteristic cultural trait, which is connected to basic
subsistence strategy as the raw material modied is gazelle
bone. Large-scale cohesion and participation characterize
both: the mundane behavior and the ritualized new device
that became a new cultural habit in itself.
Conclusions
Clearly, personal ornaments have inherent artistic
qualities that can be dened and characterized through
comparative analysis integrating approaches derived from
other disciplines, bodies of art objects and contextual
information. Thus, in the present study, the bone pendants
adorning H.9 can be identied as audio-visual objects,
strung-rattle, the acoustic nature of which is of rhythmical
music produced by body movements, which by denition
is audio-motor. Altogether, such “instruments” were
presumably employed in a communal social activity,
portraying inter-social visual conventions and audio-motor
rhythmical participation.
The process of ritualization in humane culture involved
manipulations of material components by artistic means.
Thus, artifacts that portray ritualization also reect the
particular behavior that was ritualized. At this point the
newly created devices became a new cultural habit by
themselves – they establish a formalized framework of
interaction that participants recognize as such.
It seems to us that the bone pendants that were recovered
from around the pelvis of H.9, Grave VII, at Hayonim
Cave were “not just for show,” but possibly an active
device of social cohesion. Moreover, the nature of these
artifacts and their potential use shed light on aspects of
certain social mechanisms. Probably these were employed
as maintenance devices for the growing social complexity
that accompanied the transformation from Paleolithic to
Neolithic life ways.
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank the organizers of the SAA session “Not
Just for Show” for the opportunity to present this study.
We also acknowledge the support of the Israel Science
Foundation funded by the Israel Academy of Sciences (A.
B-C – Grants 989/10 and 573/12).
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