"How did Mark Making and Meaning morph into Signs, Symbols and Syntax through Shells-- the S and M of the semiotic emergence of modern human cognition? Iliopoulos, in highly persuasive argument, shows how the semiotics of archaeological ornaments allowed complex processes, not states, to transform material signs of meaning." -- Iain Davidson, Emeritus Professor, University of New England, Australia "The ultimate value of any theory, especially one as seemingly abstract as Peirce's semiotics, is to accomplish two distinct aims. One is to bring phenomena into more vivid and iridescent focus; the other is to aid us in comprehending them. This finely written and deeply researched book does just that." -- Vincent Colapietro, Professor of Philosophy, University of Rhode Island, USA "A remarkable and elegantly argued book that illuminates the deep intertwining of matter, meaning, and mind in the dawn of human semiosis, exploring the way shells, bodies, and signs converged to shape the symbolic foundations of what makes us human." -- Claudio Paolucci, Professor of Philosophy and Theory of Languages, University of Bologna, Italy.