The shell mounds of the Farasan Islands : an isotopic study of seasonality and coastal exploitation
The focus of this thesis is to assess the value of the coastal landscape of the southern Red Sea after the aridification of the environment following the early Holocene wet period (11,000â6,000 cal BP). It presents data from the Farasan Islands shell midden complex, encompassing over 3,000 shellmounds accumulated between 6,500 and 4,500 cal BP, and indicating heavy reliance on marine molluscs as food. In the context of the overall aridity, there are crucial questions surrounding such intensive shellfish exploitation: a) were shellfish the main food source on the islands? b) were they a reliable food source and could they have supported a permanent settlement? c) was the exploitation of shellfish linked to the environmental change? Exploitation patterns of shellfish are reconstructed using seasonality data based on 2,100 stable isotope measurements (ÎŽ18O and ÎŽ13C) of the marine gastropod Conomurex* fasciatus* (Born 1778). This enables an assessment of the seasonal consumption of this species, and hence whether it could have been exploited all year round, or whether movement to the mainland (with its more temperate mountains) was necessary. Additionally, environmental data based on the same proxy is used
Hausmann, Niklas B. M. J.
The shell mounds of the Farasan Islands : an isotopic study of seasonality and coastal exploitation. The focus of this thesis is to assess the value of the coastal landscape of the southern Red Sea after the aridification of the environment following the early Holocene wet period (11,000â6,000 cal BP). It presents data from the Farasan Islands shell midden complex, encompassing over 3,000 shellmounds accumulated between 6,500 and 4,500 cal BP, and indicating heavy reliance on marine molluscs as food. In the context of the overall aridity, there are crucial questions surrounding such intensive shellfish exploitation: a) were shellfish the main food source on the islands? b) were they a reliable food source and could they have supported a permanent settlement? c) was the exploitation of shellfish linked to the environmental change? Exploitation patterns of shellfish are reconstructed using seasonality data based on 2,100 stable isotope measurements (ÎŽ18O and ÎŽ13C) of the marine gastropod Conomurex* fasciatus* (Born 1778). This enables an assessment of the seasonal consumption of this species, and hence whether it could have been exploited all year round, or whether movement to the mainland (with its more temperate mountains) was necessary. Additionally, environmental data based on the same proxy is used
shell_mound islands isotopic_study seasonality coastal exploitation focus ass value coastal_landscape southern red_sea environment follow early holocene wet period cal present data islands shell_midden complex encompass accumulate cal indicate heavy reliance marine mollusc food context overall aridity crucial question_surround intensive shellfish exploitation shellfish main food source island reliable food source could support permanent settlement exploitation shellfish link environmental_change exploitation pattern shellfish reconstruct use seasonality data base stable_isotope measurement marine born enables assessment seasonal consumption specie hence whether could exploit year_round whether movement mainland temperate mountain necessary additionally environmental_data base proxy use