An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c15.s1.26

v1.c15.s1.26

A survey of the materials used in the manufacture of beads urges some general observations. For example faience and steatite were abundantly used in the Harappa culture; semiprecious stones, including some of non-indigenous sources, came to be used on a large scale in the early historical period; real precious stones were rarely used for beads; some materials like lapis were imported; glass was known from PGW and Megalithic times; metals like gold, silver and copper, were not much used for beads; and finally some materials like shell, terracotta, agate and carnelian seem to have been used for beads for centuries over a very wide region.