Abstract/Summary

This thesis examines around 1350 bead ornaments made from various types, which have been recovered from the excavations of the archaeological site of Barikot located in the Swat Valley of modern Pakistan to provide new perspectives on the prevailing typological features and technological methods of bead production, covering nearly the entire chronological sequence of the site (ca. 1300 BCE – 1500 CE). To shed light onto the typological features of the beads, the raw materials and shapes of the ornaments are identified and studied, which have provided new insight into the prevailing ornamental traditions as well as socio-economic and cultural aspects of the little explored protohistoric, Early Historic and Late Historic periods of the north-western subcontinent. To reconstruct the drilling technologies and manufacturing practises, silicone casts of the drill holes of 41 beads have been taken and studied through Scanning Electron Microscopic analysis, which have, likewise, provided, not only evidence of continuity but also transformations in the prevailing bead drilling traditions at various points in time. Furthermore, to reconstruct adornment practices during the Kushana periods in the Gandharan region (1st – 3 rd centuries CE), this thesis compares selected examples of archaeological beads from Barikot and other sites with the forms of beads carved into the regional iconography, mainly the sculptures of Bodhisattvas (Buddhist divine beings) deriving from the Gandharan world. Bead shape, size, and style are evaluated to determine whether the carved depictions represent actual ornaments or they are simply symbolic or imaginative. This analysis has provided new insight into how ornaments were worn in the Early Historic period of Gandhara and into the accuracy of iconographic depictions. The site of Barikot has been stratigraphically excavated by the ISMEO Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan and is one of the few sites from this time period that has a chronology supported with numerous radiocarbon dates.