MOLLUSC REMAINS FROM THE QUELBA/KALBA FORTIFICATION (LATE 16TH TO 18TH CENTURIES, SHARJAH, UAE): TAXONOMICAL, TAPHONOMICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS

Archaeological works on the site of the former Quelba/Kalba fortification (late 16th to 18th centuries, Sharjah, UAE) yielded a significant bulk sample of marine invertebrates, with 24 species of Bivalvia, 32 species and subspecies of Gastropoda, a Scaphopoda, and several crustaceans and scleractinian coral debris. The taphonomical and palaeoecological analysis of this assemblage revealed a mix of elements with different origins and ages, including older shells reworked from the substrate of Holocene accretionary littoral sands where the structure was built, elements of lagoonal and mangrove origin, with emphasis on Terebralia palustris, and many specimens from tidal flat and inner shelf environments with sandy or rocky substrates. The presence of several edible species suggests a low scale exploration of the environment with fishing and shellfish gathering activities, and food consumption of molluscs and crabs. Several shells could also have been used as containers, and other perforated examples as adornments, including the common olive shell Oliva bulbosa. A few specimens of Monetaria annulus and M. moneta point out for a possible local use of these shells as traditional currency. All this ecological and cultural diversity reveals the importance of the studied assemblage as an example of the interaction between a strategic human settlement and their natural surrounding environment in the Gulf of Oman, during the period of the Portuguese discoveries.