Four Treasures Reference Database
Record No. 27600

Bead technologies at Harappa, 3300–1900 BC: A comparison of tools, techniques and finished beads from the Ravi to the Late Harappan Period

Book Section
Kenoyer, J.M. (2005) Bead technologies at Harappa, 3300–1900 BC: A comparison of tools, techniques and finished beads from the Ravi to the Late Harappan Period. In: South Asian Archaeology 2001, Paris: Éditions Recherche sur les Civilisations, pp. 157–170.
ISBN/ISSN: 2865383016  |  Sinkankas/Born No.: NIS/NIB  |  RWHL
gems, ancient gems, glyptic, archaeology, archaeogemology, Indus civilization, Harappa, idocrase, garnet, green garnet, green grossular, quartz, cristobolite, ernestite, talc, malachite, calcite, sulfur, tremolite inclusions, amazonite, faience
The study of bead manufacture and changing styles of beaded ornaments is an important method for investigating the social and economic development of a society. Numerous studies, including our ongoing work at Harappa (Meadow & Kenoyer 2001), have demonstrated that the careful documentation of bead manufacturing techniques, raw material sourcing, and stylistic analysis can reveal valuable information about prehistoric cultures. The analysis of beads from different periods and areas of Harappa has made it possible to define specific trade networks and the organization of production, as well as changing patterns of interaction over the history of the site (Kenoyer 2000, 2001).