Material taxonomies and beads on the East African coast, seventh-fifteenth centuries AD

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ABSTRACT Beads found in assemblages from the coast of East Africa have received significant archaeological attention. Glass beads were imported in large numbers to coastal sites from Indian Ocean trade networks from at least the seventh century AD; they give an important indication of the volume and direction of trade. Beads produced locally from materials such as shell have normally been understood in the same ways, seen as objects of trade for partners within and beyond Africa. In this paper, bead evidence is instead considered as an index of local values and uses. Beads of different materials are reviewed and a more flexible approach to taxonomy is suggested, highlighting local categories of object that do not entirely align with archaeological taxonomies based on raw materials and technology. A set of skeuomorphic beads from the Tanzanian sites of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara is considered as an example of how local categories might transcend materials-based taxonomic systems.