Different types of beads
The ancient Harappans went to great efforts to obtain exotic colored stones for making beads of different shapes and sizes.
Ancient Indus Civilization Jewelry.
Beads found in room
A banded agate bead (at left), a long terra cotta bead (center) and a cylindrical steatite bead (at right) were all found in the deposits of a room in Trench 54.
Faqir in Sindh
This man is wearing prayer beads made of carnelian around his neck.
A collection of beads
This collection was found from the eroding surface of Bawani, a site not far from Harappa that dates from the 3rd century BC.
Tubular drill hole
Tubular drill hole in an unfinished bead found from the bead pot (83) at Harappa.
Stone beads
The beads in the top three rows of from the bead pot (83) were drilled with tapering holes, possibly with tubular drill or tapered cylindrical drill. The green beads are amazonite, banded agate, jasper. The rest are carnelian.
Red-brown glass-like bead
This bead was thought to be the earliest glass in the subcontinent, dating at least to 1700 BC. Trench 38, Late Harappan Period. However, subsequent analysis in 2008 has determined that it is not glass, but some form of crystalline rock.
Faience beads
Faience beads of different shapes and colors were found in the bead pot (83). Some of these appear to be imitations of the natural stones; deep azure blue lapis lazuli, blue-green turquoise and banded to imitate banded agate.
Pot with beads
In the end, the small Late Harappan Period Pot yielded 133 beads and other decorative objects.
Bead Pot
After removal of the overlying sediment it was clear that the pot was filled with beads. Each bead was mapped in and then photographed before removal. In the lower levels were many tiny beads that had settled to the bottom.
