They said I really wanted to buy those purple-dyed beads. Each year, from the end of December until May, he works at excavation sites in the Indus Valley. His respect for and interest in beads grew as his archaeological excavations uncovered convincing evidence that beads were among humans' earliest expression of abstract ideas. Although not functional in the sense of a tool or a weapon, beads carry strong symbolic significance. From looking at the figurines, I get an idea of the types of ornaments that the ancient men and women were wearing - bangles, beads, pendants, belts.
Archaeological finds reinforce the importance of beads in ancient societies.
This adult woman from ancient Harappa was buried with two shell bangles on her left arm and five carnelian beads at her waist. Harrappa Museum Pakistan. Courtesy of the Harrappa Archaeological Research Project. Kenoyer explains that without written text, he cannot state exactly what these beads meant to residents of the Indus Valley, but written texts from Mesopotamia do reveal how that culture viewed certain stones. Lapis, for example, was used as protection against the evil eye.