Beads

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Introduction

Beads are the most common form of body adorning and the most ancient one, where shell beads have been found in Morocco dating to almost 140,000 years old. This longing to self-expression through the adorning of the body is a concept that was shared by all humans throughout history.
Through their different forms and materials, beads reflected status and expressed identity, narrating a chapter of the evolution of not only concepts about identity but of manufacturing techniques and production tools as well, as we follow their progression from natural shell beads to a more complex industry that relies on the knowledge in the types of adequate materials, sourcing them and their preparation methods.

Beads, made from different materials, are abundantly present in Urkesh in many shapes, sizes and colors. These beads were used to make necklaces in most cases as it shows from some of the burials where the beads were found near the hoyed bone indicating that the deceased was buried wearing a bead necklace.
Some of these beads are very simple, like clay beads, round or disk shaped. Others are more sophisticated and elaborate in shape such as the narrow edge cylindrical beads.

The study of these beads and their archaeological context is quite revealing about their use an its connection to the space. And in order to be able to better understand this relationship, a methodological approach had to be considered in their study to determine their quantity and its distribution in the space of the archaeological site, their manufacturing materials which sheds a light on the sources of material which can lead to a broader study on the relationship of Urkesh with its surrounding (the source of these material), the manufacturing technique which leads to the understanding of the existence of local production workshops, and their typology that reflects a certain taste for an aesthetic element.

Another aspect that was considered is related to the function of such items beyond the aesthetic dimension. One that relates to understanding the apotropaic power of certain stones and therefore the meaning of their use and their abundance.

Beads recovered from Urkesh can be categorized into the following 4 groups in terms of manufacturing materials: A) natural material like shells where they are made into a bead by perforating it. B) natural stones that required more work in terms of shaping then drilling the perforation such as Agate, lapis lazuli, Quartz…etc. C) metal, where much preparation is needed to smelt the metal and work it and D) artificial materials like glass, frit and faience where a number of materials are combined together to make these materials.