Assortment of ancient stone and shell beads from Afghanistan, including so-called etched beads.
Robert K. Liu
In the 20th century, beautiful ancient stone beads from Afghanistan became available to collectors. These included materials that were regarded as precious in antiquity—lapis lazuli and hardstones, such as agates and rock crystals—as well as stones or minerals that were attractive for their patterns or grains, which were enhanced by ancient lapidaries.
This continually war-torn country probably did not produce all these beads; neighboring Pakistan and India, who were also beadmakers in ancient times, likely produced some of them. Afghanistan was, however, the source of the tabular and lenticular beads, which showcase the beauty of the stones, many of which are translucent. The coveted long bicone beads, as well as leech beads, also came from Afghanistan. In addition, Afghanistan was a source of etched carnelians of various types and even some shell beads.
The beads shown in these images range in age from the Neolithic Period to Islamic times and measure from 0.8 to 6.7 cm long. Many of the tabular and lenticular beads date to the third millennium BC. Today beautiful replicas divert collectors from the pursuit of these ancient beads by providing the market with beads having the attractive shapes of these ancient Afghan tabular and leech beads.
