Links
UPDATED
01 January 2007
Beads and the Discovery of Alaska – Post-Russian Contact
A discussion of the history of glass beads traded into Alaska after the arrival of Vitus Bering in 1741 by Peter Francis, Jr.
American Fur Company Fort Union, South Dakota, 1828-1867
Archeological excavations in 1986-1988 resulted in the recovery of 154,108 glass, ceramic, and plastic beads of 339 varieties, including 137 varieties of drawn, drawn-lampworked, and drawn blown-lampworked glass beads; 169 varieties of furnace-wound and lamp-wound glass beads; 26 varieties of mold-pressed glass beads, 1 variety of folded glass beads; 1 variety of freewound ceramics beads; 1 varieties of Prosser-molded ceramics beads, and 1 variety of plastic beads.
Bead Collector Network
Links to various articles and web sites discussing the history of beads.
Bead Database
The Global Interactive Bead Database is a global community maintaining an online bead database with links to research news, indepth articles, references, glossary, etc.
Bead Museum
The purpose of The Bead Museum is to collect and preserve, identify, document and display beads and ornaments used in personal adornment from ancient, ethnic and contemporary cultures, covering all periods of history. Its goals are to educate the public, promote and publish research in these areas and to act as a permanent repository for beads and ornaments and related books and publications. A reference library and bead study collection are available by appointment. Excellent online source for bead publications.
Bead Museum in Washington DC
The Bead Museum in Washington DC, and its Study Center, are located in Washington, DC. They were created to foster public appreciation and understanding of beads and ornaments as subjects of serious study as well as objects of beauty and enjoyment. The study center, founded by the Bead Society of Greater Washington, provides useful reference and study materials, not only for scholars and collectors, but also for bead designers, makers and hobbyists alike. The museum and study center are dedicated:
- to collect, preserve, identify, document, display, and make available for study, beads and ornaments used in ancient, ethnic and contemporary cultures;
- to serve as a repository for beads, ornaments, related books, other publications, and similar materials;
- to encourage the study of beads and ornaments;
- to facilitate, publish, and disseminate scholarly research; and
to educate the public and culturally enrich the community.
Center for the Study of Beadwork
Alice Scherer (Center for the Study of Beadwork) maintains a site devoted to beadwork. The site presently offers publications and slide kits for learning about beadwork.
Chippewa Beads from an Archaeological Excavation
A discussion and illustrations of wampum shell beads and glass trade beads from a mid-19th century Chippewa habitation site (20MD534) in Michigan.
Cornaline d’Aleppo Beads
An article by Jamey Allen discussing the history and attributes of cornaline d’Aleppo beads.
Corning Museum of Glass
Information and links for glass research. Excellent definitions of glass terminology and technology.
Crinoid Bead from a Hearth in Alberta, Canada
EgPn-375 (Twelve Mile Coulee) was a winter camp located within the modern Tuscany subdivision in Northwest Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The beads look like porous rings of tan colored calcite, much like tiny Cheerios. These beads are the remnants of fossil crinoid stem sections or columnals, and were found in association with prehistoric fire hearths.
"Hair Pipes in Plains Indian Adornment: A Study in Indian and White Ingenuity" by John C. Ewers
Online electronic text of Ewers' 1957 article published as Anthropological Papers, No. 50, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 164, pp. 29-85, pls. 13-37, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C
Hudson’s Bay Company Fort Vancouver, Washington, 1829-1860
Archaeological excavations conducted at Hudson's Bay Company Fort Vancouver recovered 100,000+ trade beads of 152 varieties, including 80 varieties of drawn, 57 varieties of wound, 10 varieties of mold-pressed and 3 varieties of blown-glass beads; as well as one variety each of "Prosser-molded" ceramic and cut-stone beads.
Jamestown Beads
Information and links for glass research. Excellent definitions of glass terminology and technology in an article entitled: “More Than ‘A Few Blew Beads’: The Glass and Stone Beads from Jamestown Rediscovery's 1994-1997 Excavations” by Heather A. Lapham.
Making of America
Online scanned text of historical works provided by the University of Michigan, including:
Hudson, John W.
1897 Pomo Wampum Makers. The Overland Monthly
30(176):101-108.
Stearns, R.E.C.
1873 Aboriginal Shell-Money. The Overland Monthly 11(4):335-344.
National Bead Society
The National Bead Society is dedicated to the academic study of beads and dissemination of bead information. It accepts bead-related articles and invites interested parties to discuss bead problems on its NBS Bead Forum discussion list. Various web pages are devoted to the history and classification of beads.
NativeWeb
NativeWeb posts numerous pages discussing beads and pendants, bead weaving techniques, wampum, and an introduction to the use of glass beads among Native Americans of the northeastern United States.
Norse Glass Bead Necklace
A brief discussion of Norse glass beads from Scandinavian archaeological contexts.
Picard Trade Bead Museum
Links to illustrations of beads from various countries and commercial bead cards.
Electronic Scanning – An Alternative to Photographing Glass Beads by Andy Towle and Martin Ashton
Discussion of the advantages of
scanning glass beads (and other small archaeological artifacts) as an
effective, inexpensive, rapid, and simple alternative to conventional
photography. Digital color scans of beads are shown to provide excellent
quality and evenly lit images. For quick color images, this techniques
has value. However, depending upon the scanner used, images tend to have
a soft focus, shadows, and a flat appearance. This technique is not the
best for publication quality imagery. For creating quick images for
inventory and comparative purposes, scanning does provide adequate excellent
results.
SEA Beads Bibliography
Online article by Heather A. Lapham
on the glass and stone beads from the Jamestown Rediscovery’s 1994-1997
archaeological excavations.
Seed Beads in the Northwest, Canada, late 18th to early 19th centuries
A brief discussion of the seed beads recovered from Fort George (1792-1800), Rocky Mountain House (1799-1821), and the Boyer Post and Aspen House sites (1788-1802).
Shepherd Ranch, Owens Valley, California, 1864-1905
Archaeological excavations conducted at the site of the 1864-1905 Shepherd Ranch recovered 301 glass and ceramic beads of 77 varieties, including 42 varieties of drawn, 9 varieties of wound, 21 varieties of mold-pressed, and 5 varieties of Prosser-molded beads.
Spanish California Mission San Miguel Arcangel, 1797-1840
.Archaeological excavations conducted at Mission San Miguel Arcangel recovered 127 glass beads of 27 varieties, including 21 varieties of drawn beads and 6 varieties of wound-beads.
Stephen
A. Frost Trade Bead Collection – Illinois State Museum
A collection of 71 undated bead sample cards with Venetian, Bohemian, and Polish beads used by the firm of Stephen A. Frost & Son, ca. 1848-1937.
Conservation of Archaeological Resources, Nautical Archaeology Program, Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University (List of files for the conservation of archaeological materials prepared by Donny L. Hamilton)
Collection of files for conserving archaeological materials, e.g., Conservation of Glass - a discussion of techniques for cleaning and stabilizing glass artifacts.
Uluburun Bronze Age Shipwreck
A ca. 1300 BCE shipwreck carrying thousands glass (including Mycenaean relief), agate, carnelian, quartz, faience, ostrich eggshell, and amber (Mycenaean) beads. Among others artifacts are the earliest known intact ingots of glass; some 175 discoidal ingots in cobalt blue, turquoise, and a unique lavender. These ingots are likely the materials mentioned in tablets from Ras Shamra/Ugarit and Amarna as items traded from the Syro-Palestinian coast. For a more thorough discussion of the faience and glass beads see Ingram 2005.
van der Sleen Bead Collection
The
Allard Pierson Museum, University of Amsterdam, houses the bead collection of
approximately 20,000 beads collected by Dr. W.G. N. van der
Sleen (1886-1967), a chemist with an interest in
beads for historical research. He is best known for his 1967 work, A Handbook
on Beads, Musée du Verre,
Liège, Belgium, reprinted in 1973 by Liberty Cap
Books, York, PA.
Viking Beads
A discussion of beads of the Viking Age by the Viking Answer Lady.
Viking Beads from Gotland, Sweden -- Pärlor Från det Vikingatida Fröjel
A discussion of the beads from Bottarve/Nymans, Fröjel parish, Gotland by Malin Crona.
Also see:
http://www16.aname.net/~arkeodok/Viking%20single%20beads/index.html
http://frojel.hgo.se/Object%20Gallery/objgaltop.html
Whitehouse Books.com
Excellent online source for books on glass, beads, history, and technology.
Zulu Beadwork
A review and brief history of Zulu beadwork, providing a lexicon of Native beads and beadwork.