Four Blue Beads from Gardom's Edge

Four blue glass beads from the prehistoric site of Gardom’s Edge, in the upland area of the Peak District in Britain, were analyzed to determine their composition, date, and origin. The simple annular beads were of unknown date, although they were recovered from contexts that were either Bronze Age or Iron Age in date. The compositions of the beads are relatively unusual. They were manufactured with mineral alkalis, but they contained extremely low concentrations of impurities and were colored with copper. Comparison with other recently analyzed glasses shows (rare) parallels in Europe of Iron Age date, but not in the eastern Mediterranean (Egypt, Near East), which suggests an origin somewhere in the west. This is an extraordinary find in a marginal area, which suggests far-reaching trade and exchange networks.