Turquoise Glass Bead (Archaeological Find)
Title:
Turquoise Glass Bead
Subject:
This turquoise glass bead, a Class II 2A31, traveled all the way from Venice or Amsterdam sometime between the mid-seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (Parks Canada 2006; Hume 1969, 53). After traveling thousands of miles, the bead was likely part of a piece of jewelry worn by a colonist until it fell off in the Yard.
Many historians and archaeologists focus on the role of glass beads as objects for trade with local Native American populations (Hume 1969, 53). However, the presence of this bead in the Yard suggests that it was more likely used by a colonist.
The transition from the 17th to 18th centuries was an interesting time for personal adornment in the colonies. During the 17th century, sumptuary laws both in Massachusetts Bay Colony and at Harvard College restricted colonists to relatively plain and somber attire (Loren 2016, 144). The Harvard College Laws of 1655 expressly stated, “Nor shall any wear Gold, or Silver or such ornaments” (“The Lawes and Orders of Harvard Colledge, 1655-1708” 1655, 3). While this glass bead is not made of gold or silver, it was likely part of a piece of jewelry that would have been too flashy by strict Puritan standards. However, during the 18th century, as religious views became more liberal, sumptuary laws fell out of favor, and people began to adopt more lavish styles of dress. This bright turquoise bead is likely representative of this transition when colonists began to embrace frivolity.
Source:
Hume, Ivor Noël. 1969. A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Loren, Diana Di Paolo. 2016. “Bodily Protection: Dress, Health, and Anxiety in Colonial New England.” In The Archaeology of Anxiety: The Materiality of Anxiousness, Worry, and Fear, edited by Jeffrey Fleisher and Neil Norman, 141-156. Springer: New York.
Parks Canada. 2006. “Canadian Historic Sites: Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History NO. 1.” Parks Canada website, October 24. Accessed April 5, 2017. http://parkscanadahistory.com/series/chs/1/chs1-2h.htm.
“The Lawes and Orders of Harvard Colledge, 1655-1708.” 1655. Harvard University Archives. Accessed April 5, 2017. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.ARCH:16695055.
Object Name:
Turquoise Glass Bead
Inventory Description:
Class II 2A31; small drawn tubular turquoise glass bead
Peabody Number:
2016.29.1635
Culture/Period:
Mid 17th - 18th century
Intrasite:
H931 Feature Level 1
Depth:
66-76cm
Class 1:
Glass
Class 2:
Bead
Class 3:
Tubular bead
Quantity:
1
Height (cm):
0.6
Width (cm):
0.6
Depth/Thickness (cm):
0.5