Arikamedu: Quartz Bead

On a recent visit to Arikamedu I was fortunate to meet a local man from the village of Ariyankuppam. He informed me that he has been collecting beads from this area for the last 15 years as they turn up all over the place during the rains and when he goes for a walk through the area. He showed me a bead he had with him which I immediately photographed. It was a roundish piece of clear Quartz with pecking marks all around. This bead was a good find as this is an example of the early stage of the bead making process.

QUARTZ BEAD, Surface Find, 20mm Dia.

The bead making process is an interesting one and even today most beads are made in a similar fashion to the techniques that were used in Arikamedu 2000 years ago.

Rough stones would be brought to Arikamedu by land and sea from places like Gujarat, Erode and probably Sri Lanka. These roughs would then be chosen by the bead workers to make into beads. From various finds at the excavation site as well as objects in private collections, the entire process can be seen. First the stones would be chipped or "pecked" to form a rough shape as required. Usually beads were round, rectangular or cylindrical. The tools used for this process would have been harder stones like flint and iron pieces as they would chip stone when struck with force. A process similar to making stone age tools.

After the rough has been formed, it would then go to the drilling stage and from there for polishing. Beads in various stages of finishing have been found at arikamedu.