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BEADS:
To decorate the body is a very old and almost a universal human tradition. We find many ways of doing this and ornamentation is one of the commonest ways. The use of beads has played a major role not only in ornamentation but also as a method of defining ones social and ritual status. Stone bead making is an oldest specialized craft with its roots extending back to the Paleolithic and Mesolithic stone flaking technologies, around 10,000to 8,000 BC.85
I have found number of beads from the site of Nani Rayan. They are made from different materials like sand stone, semi precious stones, shell and terracotta (Baked earth). They are of many different shapes and sizes. Sand Stone Beads :
It is an unusually large bead having a diameter of 65 mm and thickness of 45mm. There is a central hole of 11mm and one surface has been polished flat while the other is round. It must have been hung with a thick string and tied in the neck of the cattle. An uneven, flat bead, 24mm broad and 13mm thick, having a central hole of 6 mm. It is very crude and unfinished.
A saucer shaped 19mm X 7mm bead with a large 6 mm hole Semi Precious Stone beads:
1 Two circular crude agate beads are bilaterally flattened. One of
them is partially finished 2 A Rectangle, blue colored agate bead 8 by 5 mm. 3 An imperforated highly polished and very finely made agate
bead
4 Unfinished agate bead Terracotta Beads:
A large number and wide variety of TC beads are found. They are from 14mm to 45 mm in diameter and areca nut, flat, circular, bi-conical, ring like and drum (Damaru) like in shape. One bead is of the shape of a pulley, while one is saucer shaped with a large central perforation. Some of them are black in color, some are brown and some are red in color. The larger beads have a comparatively small central perforation (3mm) while the smaller one and flat ones have a large central perforation (7mm)
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Prof.Sonavane, head of the dept.(archeology)MS Uni. Vadodara
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