This volume offers a broad and up-to-date discussion of the Spondylus phenomenon in prehistory, in diverse archaeological contexts from Europe and two areas of the New World. It brings together new archaeological data, methodological advances, and current interpretations for the study of this important material. Further understanding comes from consideration of other shell technologies, ancient and traditional. The core of the book consists of papers that were first presented in a special session on Spondylus in European Prehistory: New Data and Approaches - A Session on the Archaeology of Shell Technologies, organized by the editors for the 13th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, Zadar, Croatia, 18-23 September 2007.