Turquoise Glass Bead (Archaeological Find)

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Turquoise Glass Bead. This Class II 2A31 bead was likely made between the mid 17th and 18th centuries in Venice or Amsterdam. It is 0.6 cm in diameter and 0.5cm long.
Kidd Typology. This diagram shows the Kenneth and Martha Kidd Typology used to classify glass beads. The bead found in the Yard appears to be Class II 2A31.
The Lawes and Orders of Harvard Colledge, 1655-1708. This cropped image of the Harvard College Laws of 1655 highlights Rule 7 regarding students’ attire. The rule expressly forbids “Lavish Dresse.”
Portrait of John Eliot. This mid 17th century portrait of missionary John Eliot showcases the somber attire favored by Puritans.
Portrait of Mary Cuthbert. This mid 18th century portrait of Mary Cuthbert shows the changes in style in the 18th century. Note that the sitter appears to be wearing a beaded necklace.

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

Collection:

2017 Assignment 2

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