Abstract
Five mollusk shells were retrieved from the excavation at the site of the Bet She’an Youth Hostel: Hexaplex trunculus, Glycymeris glycymeris, Spondylus gaederopus, Charonia sp., Tridacna maxima. Four shells originated in the Mediterranean Sea, and one, in the Red Sea. One specimen, the Charonia sp., is not found along the shore of Israel, and was most probably collected somewhere else in the Mediterranean basin, possibly Italy. One of the shells found at the site, H. trunculus, is known to have been used for dyeing in biblical times. The other four were used as decorative ornaments (beads), or as storage containers, possibly for makeup.
Keywords
archaeomalacology, Mediterranean coast, Red Sea
Recommended Citation
Ben-Ami, Frida
(2014)
"Mollusk Shells from Bet She’an (Youth Hostel) (Hebrew pp.149–151; English summary, p. 132*),"
'Atiqot: Vol. 77, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70967/2948-040X.1666
Available at:
https://publications.iaa.org.il/atiqot/vol77/iss1/4
Included in
Agriculture Commons, Biblical Studies Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons