Prehistoric and Archaeological research has pointed out the role of marine resources in modern humans’ cognitive and cultural developments. Maritime adaptations constitute a key component of the sociocultural evolution in Eastern Arabia. During the Neolithic (c. 6500–3300 BCE), it is expressed by the colonisation of offshore islands supported by advanced seafaring and the exploitation of marine resources not only for staple food but also for obtaining hard animal materials used for both symbolic and technological productions, respectively in the form of personal adornments and tooling. Although tools made of retouched large marine mollusc shells are reported on several sites, no detailed study has been conducted on their function and role within the socio-technological processes.

The present study introduces a prospective approach for the functional analysis of archaeological shell tools from Eastern Arabia. A reference collection of use-wear traces made experimentally has been built: it compiles the results of 65 experiments (23 are documented and illustrated in the present study), including the processing of various animal, vegetal, and mineral materials. Use-wear traces have been observed and described using both low and high-power magnifications (conducted mainly at 100 ×). It provides helpful methodological support for future comparisons with archaeological specimens. The procurement conditions of the shell valves and the techniques of retouch have been discussed in detail, allowing further considerations on the degree of the socio-technological investment devoted to these peculiar artefacts.

史前和考古研究指出了海洋资源在现代人类认知和文化发展中的作用。海洋适应是阿拉伯东部社会文化演变的一个关键组成部分。在新石器时代（约公元前6500-3300年），它表现为在先进航海技术和海洋资源开发支持下对近海岛屿的殖民化，不仅为了获得主食，而且为了获得用于象征性和技术性生产的坚硬动物材料，分别以个人装饰品和工装的形式出现。尽管在多个地点都报道了由经过修饰的大型海洋软体动物贝壳制成的工具，但尚未对其在社会技术过程中的功能和作用进行详细研究。

本研究介绍了一种对阿拉伯东部考古贝壳工具进行功能分析的前瞻性方法。已经建立了实验性使用磨损痕迹的参考集合：它汇集了 65 项实验的结果（本研究中记录并说明了 23 项实验），包括各种动物、植物和矿物材料的加工。使用低倍和高倍放大倍数（主要在 100 倍下进行）观察和描述了使用磨损痕迹。它为未来与考古标本的比较提供了有用的方法支持。详细讨论了壳阀的采购条件和修饰技术，使我们能够进一步考虑对这些特殊制品的社会技术投资程度。