Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c11.s4: Different Ornamental Beads
Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c11.s4
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Different Ornamental Beads
v1.c11.s4.1
As in most ancient countries, the women of the Indus Valley decked themselves out with jewellery and it is probable that men also did likewise. The commonest ornaments were long strings of beads some of considerable size.
v1.c11.s4.2
Stone beads of practically every shape and form were in use. Some are of large size and are even made of such comparatively soft stones as limestone and alabaster. The favourite material for beads was chalcedony in all its forms, carnelian being especially common and artificially treated to enhance its colour. Bronze and copper were also used in the manufacture of spacers and terminals for strings of beads. In this connection, we may record Marshall’s considered opinion that in India bead-making was one of the most ancient arts, since in most places the requisite materials were ready at hand. This was not the case in Mesopotamia where even the commonest stone was difficult to procure. (MS-II, 510)
v1.c11.s4.3
A remarkable point about the bead is the comparative scarcity of lapis lazuli; indeed this material was rarely used for beads or anything else at Mohenjo-Daro.
v1.c11.s4.4
On the other hand, Hargreaves found at Nal in Southern Baluchistan, several strings of beads composed entirely of lapis lazuli, both disc-shaped and cylindrical. It is possible that the lapis lazuli, found at Nal, came from Persia and that for some unknown reason, this source of supply was not readily available to the inhabitants of Mohenjo-Daro who received few samples, probably from Badakshan. Green feldspar (amazon stone) was on the other hand much favoured as a material for beads. The occurrence of beads made of green feldspar in many chalcolithic sites in the near and Middle East including India, is interesting, as few localities are known from which the stone could be procured. Possibly in ancient times a considerable trade was done in this semi-precious stone, which may have been valued for properties other than its beauty. Some considerable difficulty was always experienced in working feldspar into beads, for in whatever country they are found, they are always very irregular in shape.
v1.c11.s4.5
Turquoise and turquoise-matrix were also occasionally employed for beads at Mohenjo-Daro. The inhabitants also made extensive use of various varieties of agate such as carnelian, chalcedony, onyx, etc. for making beads. Some of these stones seem to have been tinted artificially-chiefly the beautiful red carnelian with designs upon it in white. The tinting of agate is still an industry in India. Amethyst has been found at Mohenjo-Daro, both in the form of beads and also in rough nodules. There was the very extensive use of steatite at Mohenjo-Daro both in bead-making and for other objects; it may be noted that steatite was often coated with blue glaze. The steatite beads were more common than those of any other material, and there is no doubt that the people of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa had access to plentiful supplies. Even stones with dull appearance such as limestone and alabaster were made into beads at Mohenjo-Daro. Doubtless, beads made of these materials were worn only by the poor. Several unfinished beads found at Mohenjo-Daro, all of agate, show that these were shaped and smoothed before being bored. (MS-II, 524,536)
v1.c11.s4.6
Agate is the most important variety of chalcedony. Bauer defines agate-jasper as stones which are intermediate in character between jasper and chalcedony, and which usually show opaque, dark-coloured portions intermixed in various ways with translucent lighter coloured portions. Moss-agates are characterized by the presence of green enclosures which usually take the form of long hairs and fibres much intertwined and have the general appearance of a piece of moss. The chalcedony bead is white or very pale shade of grey, yellow brown, blue or green and uniformly coloured. Heliotrope beads differ from plasma only in that its green colour is spotted, patched or streaked with a fine blood-red. Another type of bead named 'plasma' applied to green chalcedony, the colour of which ranges from dark leek-green, the commonest shade, through pale apple green, to almost white. By far, the greatest number of beads referred to are the impure variety of massive quartz known as jasper. This is distinguished from hornstone by its large, even conchoidal fracture, the dull lustre of its fractured surface and by its perfect opacity and deep colour. The following six types of jasper: common jasper, blue jasper, red jasper, green jasper, yellow jasper and riband jasper have been distinguished in the various items found at Mohenjo-Daro. Only one bead was identified as Amazon stone. The bead in question was microcline and light green in colour. (MS-I, 544-45) Only one bead has been determined as being tachylyte or a basaltic or ultra-basic glass. In the case of silver beads, most of the silver has been converted to silver chloride by weathering, and not only are the beads covered inside and out with a thick, pimply coating of this mineral, but the metallic portion itself is impregnated with chloride to such an extent that it has become very brittle. Two greyish beads have been identified as nepheline sodalite rock, probably obtained from Kishangarh, Rajasthan. (MS-II, 546-47)
v1.c11.s4.7
Not only Marshall, even Mackay also found a good number of finished and unfinished beads in the DK and HR areas in course of his excavation between 1927-31. Beads of the areas were similar with those found in the earlier sites. The material objects were same, such as steatite, faience, pottery, shell, agate, carnelian, jade, breccia, quartz, limestone, jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise, green feldspar, haematite, onyx, hornblende, gold, silver and copper. Besides the above-mentioned beads, there were few composite beads, made of red carnelian and white or blue chalcedony or agate. (MCK, 503)
v1.c11.s4.8
The etched carnelian beads are rare at Mohenjo-Daro, and Mackay found only four of it. The rareness of this bead naturally led to the manufacture of imitations, and often a bead made of steatite or of steatite paste was coated with a thick red slip, leaving white lines to represent the white designs on the genuine etched beads. These imitation beads probably deceived no one though there was often a cleverly made high polish giving almost a translucent appearance to the red slip. (MCK, 507)
v1.c11.s4.9
The great majority of carved beads were made of steatite and the trefoil design was the most favoured. Quite a number of tabular denticulate beads with toothed ends have been unearthed at Mohenjo-Daro. Few sickle blade beads have also been found in the upper levels of Mohenjo-Daro. The other varieties are coiled wire beads and imitation, segmented beads, cog wheel beads, long barrel cylinder beads, long barrel beads, disc beads, long taped beads, round in section, faceted beads, cylindrical beads, few unclassified beads and lastly, few unfinished beads. (MCK, 508-16)
v1.c11.s4.10
According to Mackay, these unfinished beads made of hard stones were actually manufactured at Mohenjo-Daro; the evidence is afforded by the unfinished specimens that we have found, though no actual bead factory has yet come to light. Among the ten unfinished beads, three were found in the lower levels, and one from as low as 18.2 ft below datum. This proves that beads were manufactured from the intermediate II Phase onwards and probably before that. (MCK 502)