gems, carnelian, technology, protohistory, UAE, Armenia, quartz, chalcedony

During the Bronze Age, the Harappan civilization was characterized by its great production of carnelian beads, widely exported in the Middle East. Etched carnelian and classical Harappan beads are considered, rightly, as cultural hallmarks of the Indus Civilization. Indeed, this theory has become so firmly rooted that many believe that all carnelian beads come from the Indus valley. But were there other sources? Did bead production on a more local scale exist, outside these vast circulation networks? This study examines beads that originated from two distinct geographical and cultural areas: the UAE and Armenia. In the third millennium B.C., workshops in the Indus Valley produced most of the carnelian beads found in the UAE. In contrast, in the second millennium B.C., another network of exchange came into existence. This study focuses on the material from the Shimãl and Dãyah necropoleis, which comprises more than 2300 objects. On the other side of Iran, in Armenia, carnelian beads are equally common. Where did they come from? The study of material from six sites distributed throughout the country, constituting a total of more than 1300 artefacts, raises a number of interesting questions about the products of this region. This technological study reveals the existence outside the Indus Valley of different productions and levels of technical skill. It suggests that we should revise our understanding of Bronze and Iron Age exchange networks, by offering another reading of carnelian production in this part of the world.