Strand of Ancient Phoenician & Other Beads

This is an outstanding mix of 69 Phoenician and other ancient and medieval beads and trade beads. Most of the beads are ancient glass beads that are translucent when held up to light, and most show the necessary signs of surface erosion or salting from having been buried but largely are in very good condition.

The strand retains its original African trade bead stringing – essentially, these are ancient (mostly) Middle Eastern beads that have been unearthed and then traded across Africa where they entered the indigenous African bead market. Local people valued them for their presumed protective, talismanic and ‘magical’ properties.

Among the strand are several folded red, white and blue glass beads, two of which are in fine condition and a third has some damage. These are from Fustat (Fostat), located in Old Cairo, Egypt, and date to around 1100AD. Other Fustat beads include several blue and white ‘eye’ beads.

The strand has at each end several later Venetian beads.

The strand is stable and wearable as a necklace. Overall, it is a rare and pleasing strand, with a large number of beads and with obvious antiquity.