Alkaline Etched Beads East of India in the Late Prehistoric and Early Historic Periods

Abstract

Ian С. Glover & Bérénice Bellina Alkaline etched beads east of India in the late prehistoric and early historic periods The aim of this article is to bring to the notice of scholars the number and widespread distribution of alkaline etched beads made of agate and carnelian which have been found in recent years in eastern Asia - from Myanmar to China and from the Philippines to Indonesia. It is argued that these rare and valued ornaments were most probably made in South Asia and that the presence of these beads, many of which have been found in datable archaeological contexts, provides a good indicator of the beginnings of regular exchange links between South and Southeast Asia around 500 B.C. Because they are better dated and have been more exhaustively studied, particular attention is given to the beads from the Iron Age cemetery at Ban Don Ta Phet in western Thailand, where over 40 etched carnelian and agate beads were excavated between 1976 and 1985.