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Canadian Historic Sites: Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History No. 1
by Kenneth E. and Martha Ann Kidd Description of a Classification System for Glass BeadsThe Tube Bead Chart The chart (Fig. 3) illustrating tube beads is divided into four quadrants. Contiguous quadrants can be described as units in themselves but this cannot be done with non-contiguous quadrants. The beads in the lower quadrants (I and III) are all basically tube forms; those in the upper quadrants (II and IV) have been modified to a round form by re-heating. Furthermore, the beads in quadrants I and II are "simple beads"; that is, they are basically monochrome but may have adventitious surface decoration; but those in the two left hand quadrants (III and IV) repeat the classes covered in I and II but are layered, and may therefore be regarded as compound and not simple. The one exception is the class of star beads which is not duplicated in the right quadrant. The chart is not strictly symmetrical because types corresponding to some that appear are hardly conceivable. For instance, there are innumerable beads of the types Id and Id', but their counterparts in quadrant II do not seem possible. The same is true for quadrants III and IV, but the numbers are available for use if the need should arise. All the beads assigned to a quadrant bear the designator for that quadrant (i.e., I, II, III, IV).
It cannot be emphasized too strongly that this chart shows only the most elementary of the possible forms. Examination of the plates will reveal something of the degree of possible elaboration of these basic types. Class I All the beads in quadrant I are designated as Tube Beads, Class I (see Fig. 5). They are simple monochromes with, in some cases, adventitious surface decoration. Bead Ia is the simplest possible monochrome tube. Bead Ib is made by adding simple or compound stripes of a different colour before drawing to a gathering similar to that from which Ia was made. Bead Ib' was made like Ib except that in drawing it was twisted. Bead Ic is made from a simple gathering which has been squared in section before drawing. Bead Ic' is like Ic but has been twisted in drawing. The same observations apply to Id and Id' as to Ib and Ib'. Bead Ie is made from a gathering which has been shaped to a ridged form before drawing, while Ie is the same which has been twisted in drawing. Bead If is a section of tube whose surface has been modified into facets by grinding. Class II Beads in the second quadrant are designated as Tube Beads, Class II (see Figs. 6 and 7). Basically, all are theoretically, and probably in practice, derived from Class I types. The essential difference is that, instead of being left in the tube shape, they have been subjected to rounding by re-heating (as previously described). The simplest form is, of course, Bead IIa, which is derived from Ia by re-heating and tumbling the latter until it assumes the round form. Similarly, IIb derives from Ib, IIb' from Ib' and IIe from Ie. Bead IIg is a derivative of IIa, to which round insets or "eyes" have been added, while IIh is a combination of IIb and IIg. Bead IIj is like bead IIa with the addition of two or more wavy lines of a different colour in which the waves may be parallel, crossed or spiralled. Class III Beads in the third quadrant are designated as Tube Beads, Class III (see Fig. 7). With the exception of the star beads (IIIm and IIIn), all the beads in this quadrant have analogies in quadrant I, the essential difference being that, whereas the latter are made from the monochrome gathering, those in quadrant III are made from a two- or multilayered gathering. The star beads have up to seven layers of glass, each with twelve ridges, and each alternate layer consisting of an opaque white glass. Bead IIIk is a simple star tube; IIIm is derived from IIIk by grinding down the ends to show the internal design (and is the true star bead); IIIn is similar to IIIk with the addition of three stripes not unlike those in the "b" varieties. Class IV Beads in the fourth quadrant of the first chart are designated as Tube Beads, Class IV (see Fig. 8). They derive from the Class III beads in a fashion parallel to the derivation of Class II beads from Class I beads, and are, like the Class III beads, rounded by re-heating. The two beads IVk and IVn have no analogies in the second quadrant, for they are derived from IIIk and IIIn by re-heating. There are two special cases in the classification of tube beads which require explanation. The first is that in which compound stripes occur. It will be recalled that beads with simple stripes are classed as Ib, IIb, IIIb, and IVb. Similar beads with compound stripes are designated as Ibb, IIbb, and IIIbb and IVbb respectively. The second exception, including beads which look like inferior imitations of the bead IVn, is designated as IVnn. The Wire Wound Bead Chart Because they are handcrafted, it is impossible to reduce wire wound beads to a neat classification, but for ease in reference, they have been divided into three groups. All wire wound bead designations are prefaced by the letter W (see Figs. 4 and 9). Group WI comprises beads of simple shapes; i.e., tube, round, oval and doughnut. They are all monochrome. Beads of Group WII are also monochrome but are more elaborately shaped, either by pinching, molding or some other form of manipulation. The so-called "corn" beads, disc, facetted, raspberry, melon and odd-shaped forms occur in this group. Group WIII beads are beads of any of the above shapes which are not monochrome, and which may, and often do, have adventitious surface decorations of contrasting colours.
The numbering system has had to be rather more arbitrary than in the case of the tube beads where some systematic developmental order could be discerned. Hence, the following arrangement is presented as covering more or less adequately the contingencies encountered in this class. Tubular forms are designated as WIa, round as WIb, oval as WIc and doughnut-shaped beads as WId. The beads of the second group are subdivided as follows: flattened corn-shaped beads, WIIa; disc beads, WIIb; facetted beads, WIIc; raspberry beads, WIId; melon beads, WIIe; cog-shaped or multilateral beads, WIIf; and beads with a pressed design, WIIg. WIII beads may be any wire wound bead with additional decoration which may be superimposed on or inlaid in the metal. Thus bead WIb, with a surface coating of a different colour or material, becomes WIIIa; WIb with an inlaid decoration becomes WIIIb; WIIb with an inlaid decoration be comes WIIIc; WIc with a spiral overlaid decoration becomes WIIId; and WIIc with a coating of a different material or colour becomes WIIIe. The taxonomic system outlined above is based essentially on such characteristics as are observable by visual inspection; the only mechanical aids which might be required would be a low-powered hand lens and a millimetre rule. It has not been within the authors' means to employ complicated laboratory tests to determine the chemical nature of the beads concerned, nor is the field archaeologist likely to have either this laboratory equipment or the background training to use it. His determinations will be, for the most part, empirical. The very simplicity makes the system more useful than would be the case if such devices as spectrographic analysis were an integral part. Certainly the desirability of such analyses can not be denied, however. It is greatly to be hoped that in the near future the means and the facilities for carrying out laboratory analyses of beads will be available. When this becomes possible, the inadequacies (and no doubt the errors) of the present system will be smoothed out and it will become more reliable. But till that happy day arrives, perhaps the system suggested here will serve a useful purpose and make the field archaeologist's task a little easier.
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