Alison K Carter

Although glass beads were found in large quantities in Southeast Asia during the Iron Age and into the first millennium CE, glassartifacts from the Angkorian period (ninth–fifteenth centuries CE) are less common and have not been as well-studied. This paperpresents the results of an analysis of 81 glass beads and artifacts from the ninth-century royal capital of Hariharālaya and later(twelfth–fourteenth centuries CE) contexts from the walled city of Angkor Thom. Compositional analyses using laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) have identified glass belonging to three broad compositional groups. The earlier Hariharālaya sites have numerous glass beads and vessel fragments made from vegetal soda glass, associated with Middle Eastern production, as well as high-alumina mineral soda glass of a sub-type frequently found at Iron Age sites inSoutheast Asia and likely produced in South Asia. Beads from the later-period sites within Angkor Thom are primarily lead glass, associated with Chinese glass production, and different sub-types of high-alumina mineral soda glass that have also been found at sites in Southeast Asia dating from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries CE. A small number of beads from Angkor Thom also have a vegetal soda composition distinct from beads at Hariharālaya. The results of this study provide a new type of evidence for elite participation in broader regional exchange networks during the Angkorian period.

From: Carter, Alison Kyra, and Nam C. Kim. "Globalization at the Dawn of History: The Emergence of Global Cultures in the Mekong and Red River Deltas." The Routledge Handbook of Archaeology and Globalization. Ed. Tamar Hodos. New York: Routledge, 2017. 730-750.

Until July 10, 2016 you can download this PDF for free following this link: http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1T4U48MrPrspFH

In this introduction we offer a brief background on Peter Francis, Jr., Asia's Maritime Bead Trade, and our motivation for putting together this special issue. We summarize the papers in the issue and conclude by proposing future directions for continued research on beads in Asia.

The link here will allow for free PDF downloads of this paper through the Elsevier website until April 22, 2016.

Agate and carnelian beads, imported from South Asia, were widely exchanged in Southeast Asia during the Iron Age period (500 BCE–500 CE). Recent studies have identified changes in bead types and manufacturing methods over time, as well as evidence for possible local production. In order to understand the broader implications of these developments, geochemical analysis using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was undertaken on 73 beads from 10 Iron Age sites in Cambodia and Thailand and 64 geologic samples from four sites in India, Iran, and Thailand. The results show that many of the beads were produced from raw material derived from the Deccan Traps, India and that there is not yet strong evidence for bead production using a Southeast Asian source. Secondly, we find that there is not yet clear evidence for a change in the different geologic sources used to produce beads over time. This study adds to the growing body of literature highlighting the utility of LA-ICP-MS in differentiating and assigning provenience to agate/carnelian and other silicates.

Considerable attention has been devoted to the architecture and art history of Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple in the last century. There has, however, been little research on the functions and internal organisation of the large rectangular enclosure surrounding the temple. Such enclosures have long been assumed to have been sacred precincts, or perhaps ‘temple-cities’: work exploring the archaeological patterning for habitation within them has been limited. The results of LiDAR survey and excavation have now revealed evidence for low-density residential occupation in these areas, possibly for those servicing the temple. Recent excavations within the enclosure challenge our traditional understanding of the social hierarchy of the Angkor Wat community and show that the temple precinct, bounded by moat and wall, may not have been exclusively the preserve of the wealthy or the priestly elite.

A total of 74 glass beads, included as grave goods in 15th–17th century ce jar burials from Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains, were analysed using laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS). Several glass types were identified, including two subtypes of high-alumina mineral soda glass, and lead–potash glass. The final glass type represents a newly discovered and previously unidentified type of high-alumina soda glass, with high magnesia (m-Na–Al Mg>). This study represents the first glass data from the mid-second millennium ce from Cambodia and sheds light on the multiple long-distance maritime exchange networks in which the upland people buried in the jars were participating.

Alison Carter and Nancy Beavan.
A variety of glass beads were encountered in jar burials dating to the 15th-17th centuries found on rock ledges in remote portions of the Cardamom Mountains in southern Cambodia. These burials represent a mortuary ritual in which defieshed bones, often from multiple individuals, were deposited in large ceramic jars predominantly from Thai kilns. Despite the isolated location, the jars and glass beads suggest that the people buried in the jars were  active  participants  in  exchange  networks.  The  identification of different compositional types of glass beads can be related to possible trade networks with the lowlands and maritime Southeast Asia. Using ethnographic analogies with other upland communities in Southeast Asia, the authors also propose that the placement of beads in the jar burials may have been an important part of the mortuary ritual of the Cardamom Mountain people.

by Alison Carter and Nancy Beavan. A variety of glass beads were encountered in jar burials dating to the 15-17th centuries found on rock ledges in remote portions of the Cardamom Mountains in southern Cambodia. These burials represent a mortuary ritual in which defleshed bone, often from multiple individuals, were deposited in large ceramic jars predominantly from Thai kilns.  Despite the isolated location, the jars and glass beads suggest that the people buried in the jars were active participants in exchange networks. The identification of different compositional types of glass beads can be related to possible trade networks with the lowlands and maritime Southeast Asia. Using ethnographic analogies with other upland communities in Southeast Asia, the authors also propose that the placement of beads in the jar burials may have been an important part of the mortuary ritual of the Cardamom Mountain people.

In Thai. English Abstract:

Promtin Tai is an Iron Age and Early Historic period site located in Lopburi province Thailand. Recent excavations by Dr. Thanik Lertcharnrit and Silpakorn University have uncovered Iron Age burials with ceramics, bronze and iron artifacts, and stone and glass beads. Almost 1000 glass beads and artifacts were found during the 2007 field season and twenty-three glass beads were selected for additional compositional analysis using Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois.  Most of the beads were small annular or globular monochromatic glass beads commonly described as Indo-Pacific beads. Results indicate that many of the glass beads found in burials were made from potash glass and mineral soda glass with variable amounts of alumina and lime. A smaller quantity of beads were made from high-alumina soda glass. In addition to Indo-Pacific beads, there were also more unusual bead types including glass beads that were made to imitate agate or onyx stone beads, gold-glass beads, and faience beads. The glass bead evidence from Promtin Tai highlights its importance as a transitional site from the late prehistoric into the Early Historic period. The diversity of glass beads and glass types found at the site underscore its connectedness to multiple trade networks.
The stone beads at Promtin Tai are made from a variety of materials including agate, carnelian, as well as greenstone beads that may have been made from nephrite. The greenstone beads come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including bead shapes that we do not find in agate or carnelian. The origin of the nephrite beads is still unknown, however there are similar beads at other sites in Central Thailand.  The origin of the agate and carnelian beads has also been the source of much speculation.  Some of the agate and carenlian beads at Promtin Tai look similar in style and manufacturing method, specifically the drilling technique, to those found during the same time period in South Asia.  However other scholars have wondered if some of these beads were made in Southeast Asia (e.g. Theunissen et al. 2000).  Investigation of this question is ongoing, using LA-ICP-MS to analyze both stone beads and geological sources from across South and Southeast Asia. Preliminary results show that most of the beads from Promtin Tai are compositionally consistent with the Indian agate sources. This strongly indicates that the beads were being imported from South Asia, and not being made in Thailand. However there are a few beads that do appear to be compositionally distinct from the Indian sources. The meaning of these distinct beads is still unclear, however future research should help determine if some stone beads were being manufactured in Southeast Asia.