DATING THE CASSIS-RUFA SHELL FROM THE MOUSTERIAN LEVELS OF THE GROTTE-DU-PRINCE, MONACO

A fragment of Cassis rufa shell, in modern times a species of the Indi an Ocean, was reliably reported from the deep Mousterian deposits exca vated at the beginning of the century from the Grotte du Prince, Monac o. Because its known habitat is so distant and exotic, there has alway s been question about the specimen's authenticity. A radiocarbon deter mination shows it to be recent, and no evidence for long-distance move ment of shell in the European Middle Palaeolithic.