Beads

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These four beads, one of gold, two of amber, and half of a glass one, were found at Adabrock on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides in a hoard of tools, weapons, vessel fragments and beads. The hoard was buried between 950 and 750 BC.

The gold bead is a hollow, two-piece bead. The glass bead is made from blue glass. The amber beads came originally from Scandinavia, and the gold and glass beads might also have been imports, probably from Continental Europe, to Scotland.

Only the wealthy and high status people had access to gold and amber in Bronze Age Britain. Glass was also a very rare and exotic object at this time.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-100-034-634-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  X.DQ 225
• Date: Between 950 and 750 BC
  
• Material: Amber
  Amber
  Glass
  Gold
  Bead
  Bead
  Bead
  Bead / portion
  
• Dimensions:
• What: Bead
  Bead
  Bead
  Bead / portion
  
• Subject:
• Who:
• Where: Scotland, Ross and Cromarty, Lewis, Adabrock
  Scotland, Ross and Cromarty, Lewis, Adabrock
  Scotland, Ross and Cromarty, Lewis, Adabrock
  Scotland, Ross and Cromarty, Lewis, Adabrock
  
• Event:
• Description: Biconical gold bead from Adabrock, Lewis
  Amber bead from Adabrock, Lewis
  Amber bead from Adabrock, Lewis
  Half of a glass bead from Adabrock, Lewis
  
• References:
  • Coles, John M. Scottish late Bronze Age metalwork: typology, distributions and chronology. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 93 (1959-1960), pp 16-134, esp. pp 50, 127. 
• Translations:
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