ANALYSIS OF SHELLFISH EXCAVATED FROM SQUARE N21/II

Abstract

Apart from potsherds, marine shells form the bulk of artefactual remains on Motupore. A wide range of marine environments are easily accessible by paddling or sailing from the island. These include sand spits, mangrove-lined shores, rocky headlands, mudflats, an estuarine harbour, short sandy beaches and a barrier reef as well as extensive fringing reefs. As will be seen, the range of species present in. midden deposits at Motupore demonstrate that the prehistoric inhabitants of the island exploited all these areas for shellfish. Figures 12.1 to 12.3 show some of the more common shellfish present on Motupore