Collection and modification of Glycymeris shellsduring the Bronze Age. A case study from Larda I and Larda II (Rovigo, North-eastern Italy)

The Palaeolithic saw the first use of marine molluscs as ornaments, representing one of humankind’s first forms of symbolic material culture.The earliest evidence of a deliberate collection of Glycymeris shells as ornaments comes from Middle Paleolithic sites. This trend is well documented during the Upper Paleolithic, becoming particularly widespread in the late prehistoric contexts of Northern Italy.This study aims at investigating the modalities of collection, modification and use of perforated Glycymeris shells from the Bronze Age sites of Larda I and Larda II, in the eastern area of Polesine (southern Veneto).Taphonomic analyses carried out on the shell assemblages allowed us to identify a natural origin for almost the totality of the holes, suggesting opportunistic exploitation of naturally perforated shells.