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Shell gorgets are a Native American art form of polished, carved shell pendants worn around the neck. The gorgets are frequently engraved, and are sometimes highlighted with pigments, or fenestrated (pierced with openings). Shell gorgets were most common in Eastern Woodlands of the United States, during the Hopewell tradition (200 BCE– 500 CE) and Mississippian cultural period (ca. 800–1500 CE); however, tribes from other regions and time periods also carved shell gorgets. The earliest shell gorgets date back to 3000 years BP. They are believed to have been insignia of status or rank,〔C. Andrew Buchner, ("Cox Mound Gorget." ) ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture.'' (retrieved 23 July 2010)〕 either civic, military, or religious, or amulets of protective medicine. Due to the placement of the holes in the gorgets, they are also thought to be spinners that could produce whistling sounds.〔Dozier, Debye. ("Northern, Eastern, and Southern Woodlands." ) ''Palomar College, American Indian Department.'' 16 June 2005 (retrieved 6 Feb 2011)〕 ==Materials and techniques== Lightning whelk (''Busycon contrarium'') is the most common shell used for gorgets. Other shells, such as the true conch or ''Strombus'', as well as freshwater mussels, are also carved into gorgets.〔Dreiss, Meredith L. ("Marine Shell Ornaments, Icons and Offerings." ) ''Texas Beyond History.'' (retrieved 24 July 2010)〕 Today, due to environmental causes, harvested lightning whelks are significantly smaller than in precontact times. These earlier shells typically ranged from 6 to 12 inches in length.〔 Harvested off the coasts of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, the shells were traded through the Eastern Woodlands.〔Dubin, 154〕 This native trade continued into the 16th century.〔Dubin, 163〕 Gorgets are carved from the penultimate whorl of the shell.〔Fundaburk and Foreman, Pl. 155-6〕 A blank is cut or broken out, then ground smooth. Holes for suspension and decoration are drilled, sometimes with a bow drills or chert drills.〔 The gorget forms a concave shape and, when engraved, the interior is polished and decorated. While most gorgets are circular, some are shaped as rectangles with rounded corners, maskettes, or other novel shapes. An extremely elaborate pendant from Spiro Mounds is shaped as two hands connected by a common beaded bracelet.〔Dubin 162〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Shell gorget」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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