Archaeological Glass Beads as Evidence of Exchange Dynamics in West Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6414008 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Miriam Truffa Giachet (0000-0001-7611-5558), Éric Huysecom (0000-0003-4205-0914), Anne Mayor (0000-0002-3665-1804) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 407-420 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Archaeological Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0263-0338 • E-ISSN: 1572-9842 |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10437-025-09633-9 |
| OpenAlex | W4414300842 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 35 |
Glass beads are among the oldest objects in the glassmaking industry. In West Africa, archaeological glass beads are evidence of short-, medium- and long-distance trade within the continent and with the rest of the world, in relation to social and geopolitical circumstances. As glass beads relate to many aspects of the everyday life of a community, the interest of their study lies in gaining evidence about technological aspects, socio-cultural contexts, and politico-economic background. We present here the techno-stylistic and chemical analysis of 945 glass beads found in 9 archaeological sites in Senegal, Mali, and Ghana dated between the 7th–5th c. BCE and the 18th–20th c. CE. The cross-referencing of the analytical results with archaeological and historical data has made it possible to identify three main clusters relating to the provenance of the glass, the commercial partners involved, and the trade networks exploited
Ancient Glass
Old Buipe (Ghana, Northern Region)
Trade in the Ancient Sahara and Beyond
“Our Ancestors Were Material Scientists”
Early social complexity in the Dogon Country (Mali) as evidenced by a new chronology of funerary practices
The archaeometry of ancient glassmaking
A Phoenician glass eye bead from 7th–5th c. cal BCE Nin-Bèrè 3, Mali
Toward a Systematic Bead Description System
Glass Beads from Medieval Gao (Mali)
Early primary glass production in southern Nigeria
Chemical analysis, chronology, and context of a European glass bead assemblage from Garumele, Niger
Chemical analysis of glass beads from Igbo Olokun, Ile-Ife (SW Nigeria)
Beadmaking in Islam
Igbo-Ukwu at 50
Diakhité
Essouk - Tadmekka
Towards a Better Understanding of Sub-Saharan Settlement Mounds before AD 1400
Initial Encounters
Gao and Igbo-Ukwu
What Africans Got for Their Slaves
Excavations at Gao Saney
Palaeoenvironment and human population in West Africa
Ile-Ife and Igbo Olokun in the history of glass in West Africa
Two Chemical Groups of Dichroic Glass Beads from West Africa
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |