Breaking, making and trading : the Omurtag Eneolithic Spondylus hoard.

In this article, we discuss the fragments of Spondylus and the associated tools and orna­ ments found in a vessel in the second dwelling horizon at tell Omurtag, in North East Bul­ garia. While some of the finds suggest an in­ terpretation as the tool-kit of a Spondylus craftsperson because they include fragments of previous ornaments and secondarily worked fragments, wear-traces related to shell orna­ ment manufacturing are rather limited. Instead, the hoard may well constitute an assemblage of exotic and everyday things, of value in and of themselves. The biographies of these things are explored within the context of the Spondylus fragmentation chain and other sites with Spondylus finds. The long-distance connec­ tions indicated by some of the finds are also discussed.