Four Thousand Year Old Agate, Jasper, and Alabaster Beads from the Indus Valley

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Four Thousand Year Old Agate, Jasper, and Alabaster Beads from the Indus Valley

About the Item

Twenty-eight ancient Bronze Age agate, jasper and alabaster beads. The beads have been selected to make a necklace with just the colors of red, black and white. The beads are from Baluchistan, Pakistan, and north India along the northwestern part around the Indus River. A list of the beads in the necklace with their dimensions follows - (from upper left in the photograph): 1. Length- 6mm. Width-5 mm. Diameter of drill hole- 2.5 mm. A black alabaster barrel shaped bead. 2. Length- 9 mm. Width- 4.3 mm. Diameter of drill hole-3.2 mm. A straight cylinder alabaster bead. The bead is black with a wide white stripe of white that zigzags around the center. 3. Length- 1 cm- Width at center- 1.09 cm. Width at ends- 5 mm. Diameter of drill hole- 2.5 mm. This is a very short rhomboid shaped agate bead that is composed of three colors: black, opaque white and clear quartz. 4. Length- 1.9 cm. Width at center- 7 mm. Width at the end- 5 mm. Drill hole diameter- 3 mm. A barrel bead of black alabaster with three white bands. 5. Length- 2.04 cm. Width at center- .8 mm. Width at ends- 5.8 mm. Drill hole diameter-3.2 mm. A barrel bead of red jasper with bluish white veining. 6. Length- 1.95 cm. Width at center- 8.9 mm. Width at ends-6 mm. Drill hole diameter-3.2 mm. A barrel bead of very dark reddish black jasper with white veining. 7. Length- 3.18 cm. Width at center-9.3 mm. Width at ends6.1 mm. Drill hole diameter- 4 mm. A red jasper barrel bead with some longitudinal layers of slightly different red shades. 8. Length- 3.65 cm. Width at center- 1.4 cm. Width at ends- 6.4 mm. Drill hole diameter- 4.5 mm. A black jasper bi-cone barrel bead with a well defined division between the two angled sides where they meet in the middle. This profile is a characteristic of long agate barrel beads from the Indus Valley civilization. There are small chips at the shoulder of the drill hole on each end. 9. Length 4.3 cm. Width at center- 2.95 cm. Width at ends- 6 mm. Thickness- 9.5 mm. Drill hole diameter- 4.4 mm. A flat rhomboid shaped red jasper bead with bluish white veining. This shape is found in early Bronze Age agate beads from what is now Afghanistan. The red jasper material is unusual and rare. 10. Length 5.4 cm Width at center- 1.33 cm. Width at ends- 6.2 mm. Drill hole diameter- 3.9 mm. A black jasper barrel bead with white veining having a slightly bulging shape. There is some chipping at the drill hole on one end. The slightly bulging profile is found on 4,000 year old jasper beads from what is now Baluchistan. 11. Length- 1.63 cm. Width at center- 9 mm. Width at ends- 5.1 mm. Drill hole diameter- 3.2 mm. A short barrel bead of red jasper with dark narrow bands encircling. Indus Valley bead industry. 12. Length- 6.5 mm. Width- 6.4 mm. Drill hole diameter- 2.5 mm. A short black alabaster barrel bead. 13. Length- 5.45 cm. Width at center 2.2 cm. Width at ends- 1.05 cm. Thickness- 8 mm. Drill hole diameter- 3mm. A long, flat rounded rhomboid shaped bead of red jasper with creamy white and some bluish white veining. A white line running longitudinally divides the face of the bead into two zones, one of which is primarily red jasper. The other zone is filled with small circular bluish white dots surrounded with a thin white lines that are closely packed. Beads of this shape from the early Bronze Age in what is now Afghanistan are typically made of agate. It is unusual to find one made of red jasper. Red jasper was used by the Indus Valley bead industry but they did not make beads of this shape. This is not only rare and unusual, but it is a very beautiful bead in perfect condition. 14. Length 4.5 mm. Width- 9 mm. Drill hole diameter- 2.5 mm. An irregularly shaped garnet disc bead. The stone appears to be black because of the thickness of the bead but held up to a bright light, it reveals some red transmitted at the edges. 15. Length- 1 cm. Width at center- 9.4 mm. Width at ends- 4.5 mm. Drill hole diameter- 3.8 mm. A short agate barrel bead of red and gray zone with white lines in concentric patterns. 16. Length- 2.4 cm. Width at center- 1.33. cm. Width at ends- 7 mm. Drill hole diameter- 5 mm. A red jasper barrel bead with very dark gray veining. The bulging profile and very large diameter drill hole are characteristic of 4,000 year old jasper beads from Baluchistan. (See # 10. and the following, #17.) 17. Length- 4 cm. Width at center- 1.85 cm Width at center-1.4 cm. Width at ends-6.8 mm. Drill hole diameter- 5 mm. A barrel bead of black jasper with white granular veining that is similar to the patterning found in gneiss, (a metamorphic form of granite). The profile is similar to # 10. & # 16. above. 18. Length- 3.55 cm. Width at center 2.8 cm .Width at ends- 8.5 mm. Thickness- 7.9 mm. Drill hole diameter- 4.2 mm. A tabular rounded rhomboid shaped black jasper bead that is of the shape of beads typically found in Afghanistan and made of agate. As in beads # 9. and #13. , the profiles of the beads are typical of ancient agate beads from Afghanistan, but the material is more what we would expect from Indus Valley made beads. Unusual and rare. 19. Length- 1.47cm. Width at center- 1.35 cm. Width at ends- 5.5 mm. Diameter of drill hole- 4mm. A oblate sphere shaped red jasper bead with black, white, and orange speckles. The very large drill hole, jasper material, and bead shape are characteristic of the Indus Valley bead industry of 4,000 years ago. 20. Length- 2.85 cm. Width at center-1 cm. Width at ends- 4.5 mm. Drill hole diameter- 3mm. A barrel shaped black jasper bead with white veining. It is very similar to #10 in shape and material but it is smaller. Early Bronze Age probably from what is now called Baluchistan. 21. Length- 2 cm. Width at center- 9mm. Width at ends-6 mm. Drill hole diameter- 4 mm. Similar to #11. a red jasper barrel bead with narrow blue gray bands. Indus Valley. 22. Length- 4.45 cm. Width at center- 1 cm. Width at ends- 5 mm. Drill hole diameter- 4.4 mm. A black jasper bi-cone with very thin white lines and veining. The shape is very distinctive and unique to beads from the Indus Valley culture. The sloping sides curve inward slightly before meeting in the center in a well defined ridge that encircles the bead at the center. 23. Length- 1.08 cm Width at center- 7.5 mm. Width at ends- 5.5 mm. Drill hole diameter- 3 mm. Similar to #11. & # 21. a red jasper barrel bead with black and dark red bands. Indus Valley. 24. Length- 2.7mm. Width, 6 mm. Drill hole diameter- 2.3 mm. A small black disc bead, probably alabaster, strung into the necklace to visually separate #23. & #25. for aesthetic reasons. It is also an ancient bead. 25. Length-1.05 cm Width at center-1.2 cm. Width at ends- 7 mm. Thickness- 6 mm. Drill hole diameter- 3.5 mm. A tabular bead that is a very shortened rhomboid shape, characteristic of Bronze Age beads of this type from Afghanistan. It is divided into two zones at the center; one is white and one is black. This choice to make the beads half black and half white, or half clear quartz and half opaque white, or half white and half dark brown is deliberate and probably has some meaning connected to a dualistic religious concept. 26. Length 1.32 cm. Width- 5.8 mm. Drill hole diameter- 3 mm. A straight cylindrical shaped bead of alabaster with a white band veined with thin gray lines that meanders around the beads-middle. Early Bronze Age Afghanistan from 4.500 years old. 27. Length - 7 mm. Width- 4.2 mm. Drill hole diameter- 4 mm. A short slightly tapered barrel bead of alabaster, black with a white band around the center, from early bronze Age Afghanistan, 4,500 years old. 28. Length- 5.7 mm. Width- 4.3 mm. Drill hole diameter-2.5 mm. Similar to # 27 in age and material, a small black and white alabaster barrel shaped bead that is half black and half white. The necklace is 60.3 cm (23 ¾ inches) in length. The necklace weighs 114 gm.

Creator:
David Ebbinghouse
Stone:
Agate,Jasper
Stone Cut:
Bead
Weight:
114 g
Dimensions:
Length: 23.75 in (603 mm)
Style:
Artist
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
15th Century and Earlier
Date of Manufacture:
Unknown
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. The condition of the ancient beads speaks for itself. See close up pictures for detail.
Seller Location:
Bloomington, IN
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2425213780492