THE PERSONAL ORNAMENTS OF DİREKLİ CAVE IN THE LIGHT OF THE EPIPALAEOLITHIC OF ANATOLIA AND THE LEVANT

Personal ornaments have become one of the characteristic artefact types associated with the Epipalaeolithic period. In the Levant marine shell beads were commonly used in large numbers in the Epipalaeolithic and transported long distances from their coastal sources. Stone beads also became more common in this period and different forms and colours were employed. New evidence from Direkli Cave in Kahramanmaraş province, southeast Turkey, shows that, as in the Levantine examples, marine shells and stone were used to make beads in the Epipalaeolithic period. This article discusses the new evidence of bead use from Direkli Cave. In addition to presenting the bead assemblage from the site it also considers the relationship of these ornaments to those that have been recovered in adjacent regions, taking into account evidence from the Levant and Central Anatolia. In conclusion the article considers how the Direkli assemblage fits into a wider regional perspective on Epipalaeolithic ornamentation practices.