Unique adornments from the PPNB: Properties of the plaster beads from Nahal Hemar Cave

The Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period in the Levant (10,500–8400y cal. BP) is known for emerging social differentiation among the mostly sedentary communities, evidenced by the production and use of personal ornaments, notably stone and shell beads. The color-coated plaster beads from Nahal Hemar Cave (NHC) in the Judean Desert are the only known instance of plaster use for bead-making. This study examined the entire assemblage of plaster beads and employed morphological and mineralogical analyses, followed by a production experiment. The results show that the beads were made of unheated calcium carbonate rock, suggesting local production near NHC, perhaps on several occasions. The beads, found within an impressive collection of ritual and mortuary paraphernalia and showing minimal wear, likely served as decorations for the dead.