Image from the American Museum of Natural History

Brian Barbier will present “The Experimental Archaeology of Olivella Shell Bead Making.” Brian Barbier will present the results of his Olivella bead replication experiments and discuss some ways in which this research can be applied to the archaeological record. His talk will cover bead styles and production methods and how these changed over time.

Brian is a PhD candidate in Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara and Coordinator of the Central Coast Information Center at UCSB. He has spent decades learning and teaching traditional technologies and crafts such as flint-knapping and basket weaving. He applies these skills to his archaeological studies by performing replicative experiments aimed at better understanding traditional technologies.