Daniella Bar-Yosef Mayer

Over the last fifteen years there has been a tremendous increase in knowledge and understanding of the role of shell beads and personal ornaments in prehistoric societies. Some aspects of personal ornaments are debated, such as what constitutes a shell bead and the meaning or function of shell and ochre use. This is a multi-disciplinary field of knowledge comprising the study of taxonomy and taphonomy, symbolism and behaviour, long distance contacts, technological innovations, and more. To date there has never been a workshop bringing together the leading experts in this field to discuss these topics, and this would be a first meeting of its kind that will promote first hand discussions and possible collaborations. The aim is for about twenty scientists to meet for three days to discuss best practice in shell bead and personal ornament research, which will improve our ability to address broader-scale questions pertaining to the anthropology of socially mediated behavior within past human societies and their evolution.