22
Biology of Sea Turtles, Volume II
of the hawksbill sea turtle, known as “tortoiseshell.” For example, the primary literature
for a number of ancient Egyptian artifacts that were reportedly made of “tortoise-shell”
clearly expresses doubt about whether the material was horn or tortoiseshell, or the
original description indicated that the material was evidently not made of the scutes of
the hawksbill sea turtle (cf. British Museum, 1904: 73; 1922: 31; Carnarvon and Carter,
1912: 76; Brunton, 1937: 5, 24, 30, 53, 57, 88, 110, 141, 142, 146, 147). At Abu
Salabikh, Iraq (an urban settlement about 2500–2350 B.C.E.), a “most unusual object
… [was] a complete tortoise shell lying upside down next to a conical bowl on the
floor” (Postgate and Moorey, 1976: 167; see also Postgate, 1977: 275). This account
from Abu Salabikh has been used by some authors as evidence of an active Mesopotamian trade in tortoiseshell (e.g., Olijdam, 2001). In developing his own argument for
trade, however, Moorey (1994: 128–129) was careful to explain that no specimen of
tortoiseshell (i.e., hawksbill turtle) has ever been found in Mesopotamia, 5 and he suggested that the shell of more than one kind of chelonian may have been used in trade.
There is some evidence in ancient historic records for the use of, and trade in, shell
other than that of the hawksbill marine turtle, evidently involving land tortoises (e.g.,
Lucas, 1948: 50; Casson, 1989: 102, 168; see Section 1.4).
In this light, there are detailed lists of materials used in ancient sites that
specifically do not include tortoiseshell, “when it might have been expected” (Moorey, 1994: 129). This is the case for Ras Sharma, a second-millennium B.C.E. site in
Syria (Caubet and Poplin, 1987: 289). There are strong arguments for seafaring
merchants from Mesopotamia and for ancient activities of exploitation and exchange
with eastern Arabia (e.g., Leemans, 1960; Oates et al., 1977), yet despite tantalizing
bits of evidence, there is no unequivocal proof that tortoiseshell was included in the
ancient trade from this region.
In the Mediterranean region, Aeginetans are thought to have been the first Greeks
to have struck coins, and the earliest coin from Aegina (about 700–650 B.C.E.) is
regarded to be one depicting a marine turtle. The second coin (after 650 B.C.E.) shows
a turtle with front flippers and relatively large head, all consistent with a marine species,
with a series of five raised circles running down the median axis of the carapace (Lorch,
1999), perhaps representing the five vertebral scutes of the usual turtle carapace. The
use of the marine turtle, or later the land tortoise, on early Greek coins is thought to
have been a type of “peloglyphic” legend, in which a symbol (turtle in this case)
represented a particular sign in a prealphabetical syllabic script (Lorch, 1999).
The “Metope,” a relief of a man crouched on a chelonian nearly his size, is
regarded to depict an ancient Greek legend involving a wandering seafarer, evidently
being aided by a marine turtle (Venizelos, in litt., 30 May 2002).
1.3.2 CULTURAL ARTIFACTS OF MARINE TURTLES IN THE WESTERN
HEMISPHERE
Turtle effigies, particularly those depicting hawksbills, were evidently used to guard
charnel houses, or mortuary areas, of the Calusa of south Florida. Figureheads,
5 For example, Potts (1997) does not even mention “tortoiseshell” once in his book Mesopotamian
Civilization: The Material Foundations.
1123_C01.fm Page 22 Friday, November 15, 2002 11:13 AM
Biology of Sea Turtles, Volume II
of the hawksbill sea turtle, known as “tortoiseshell.” For example, the primary literature
for a number of ancient Egyptian artifacts that were reportedly made of “tortoise-shell”
clearly expresses doubt about whether the material was horn or tortoiseshell, or the
original description indicated that the material was evidently not made of the scutes of
the hawksbill sea turtle (cf. British Museum, 1904: 73; 1922: 31; Carnarvon and Carter,
1912: 76; Brunton, 1937: 5, 24, 30, 53, 57, 88, 110, 141, 142, 146, 147). At Abu
Salabikh, Iraq (an urban settlement about 2500–2350 B.C.E.), a “most unusual object
… [was] a complete tortoise shell lying upside down next to a conical bowl on the
floor” (Postgate and Moorey, 1976: 167; see also Postgate, 1977: 275). This account
from Abu Salabikh has been used by some authors as evidence of an active Mesopotamian trade in tortoiseshell (e.g., Olijdam, 2001). In developing his own argument for
trade, however, Moorey (1994: 128–129) was careful to explain that no specimen of
tortoiseshell (i.e., hawksbill turtle) has ever been found in Mesopotamia, 5 and he suggested that the shell of more than one kind of chelonian may have been used in trade.
There is some evidence in ancient historic records for the use of, and trade in, shell
other than that of the hawksbill marine turtle, evidently involving land tortoises (e.g.,
Lucas, 1948: 50; Casson, 1989: 102, 168; see Section 1.4).
In this light, there are detailed lists of materials used in ancient sites that
specifically do not include tortoiseshell, “when it might have been expected” (Moorey, 1994: 129). This is the case for Ras Sharma, a second-millennium B.C.E. site in
Syria (Caubet and Poplin, 1987: 289). There are strong arguments for seafaring
merchants from Mesopotamia and for ancient activities of exploitation and exchange
with eastern Arabia (e.g., Leemans, 1960; Oates et al., 1977), yet despite tantalizing
bits of evidence, there is no unequivocal proof that tortoiseshell was included in the
ancient trade from this region.
In the Mediterranean region, Aeginetans are thought to have been the first Greeks
to have struck coins, and the earliest coin from Aegina (about 700–650 B.C.E.) is
regarded to be one depicting a marine turtle. The second coin (after 650 B.C.E.) shows
a turtle with front flippers and relatively large head, all consistent with a marine species,
with a series of five raised circles running down the median axis of the carapace (Lorch,
1999), perhaps representing the five vertebral scutes of the usual turtle carapace. The
use of the marine turtle, or later the land tortoise, on early Greek coins is thought to
have been a type of “peloglyphic” legend, in which a symbol (turtle in this case)
represented a particular sign in a prealphabetical syllabic script (Lorch, 1999).
The “Metope,” a relief of a man crouched on a chelonian nearly his size, is
regarded to depict an ancient Greek legend involving a wandering seafarer, evidently
being aided by a marine turtle (Venizelos, in litt., 30 May 2002).
1.3.2 CULTURAL ARTIFACTS OF MARINE TURTLES IN THE WESTERN
HEMISPHERE
Turtle effigies, particularly those depicting hawksbills, were evidently used to guard
charnel houses, or mortuary areas, of the Calusa of south Florida. Figureheads,
5 For example, Potts (1997) does not even mention “tortoiseshell” once in his book Mesopotamian
Civilization: The Material Foundations.
1123_C01.fm Page 22 Friday, November 15, 2002 11:13 AM