Abstract
In the late 19th century, ancient tombs were discovered near the village of Vohemar at the northeastern point of Madagascar, and subsequent excavations during the French period (1896–1945) revealed the presence of a major necropolis active from ~13th to 18th centuries. Some artefacts (Chinese ceramic shards and glass trade beads) recovered from these excavations was sent to France and now in part belong to the collection of the Musée d’Histoire Naturelle, Nimes. Carnelian and glass trade beads were analyzed with a mobile Raman spectrometer, which identified different materials (soda-lime glass, quartz/moganite, carnelian/citrine, chalcedony) and coloring agents (Naples yellow, cassiterite, amber chromophore, transition metal ions, etc.). The results are compared with those obtained on beads excavated at different sites of Southern Africa and at Mayotte Island, and it appears that (most of) the beads come from southern Asia and Europe. The results confirmed the role that northern Madagascar played within the maritime networks of the Western Indian Ocean during the 15th–16th century.
Highlights
We examine the beads of the Nimes collection on-site with a mobile Raman microspectrometer
Previous studies categorized the beads as being made of carnelian, glass and “terracotta,” most of them (~75%) being in gemstones belonging to the carnelian series, being composed of a microcrystalline to monocrystalline, optically translucent to clear silica colored by Fe2+ ions
Objective conclusions were made for beads "in good condition," namely, semi-precious stones or non-corroded glass, which were transparent or translucent
Summary
The necessary use of the monsoon winds made northern Madagascar and the entrance to the Mozambique Channel the most distant points navigators could reach without having to wait for another cycle to set off again. A natural harbor located on the eastern coast of the northern tip of Madagascar Island, was one of the possible relay points for trade along the coast to southern Africa [5,6,7]. Subsequent excavations and research revealed the presence of a major necropolis attributed to a prosperous Rasikajy group [9]. The particular link of the Rasikajy civilization with Asia (Chinese or Austronesian groups in Srivijaya) has been proposed on the basis of skeletons and particular utensils found in the cemetery [10]. The necropolis dates back to at least the 13th century and was still in use when the first Europeans visited the region in the early 16th century
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