DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49517#0153
BEADS AND AMULETS
103
4. K 334: i, ii:
Mixed with fragment of leather skirt thrown to one side.
5. KXB: 140, 141:
With remains of leather garment on body PB.
(e) Beaded cloth tunics:
Abundant evidence was found of beads sewn on cloth. It may be that beaded tunics,
such as those represented in Chassinat and Palanque, Assiout, Pl. IV, IX, andX, are to be
inferred from this evidence. In the Assiout statuettes, the beadwork occurs in two colors,
red and blue, and consists mainly of long cylindrical beads arranged in a lozenge pattern
with blue balls or rings at the intersections. The statuette on Pl. IV has a fringe of red and
of blue cylindrical beads, each held in place by a ring- or ball-bead. This is similar to the
fringe on the girdle mentioned above, p. 100, No. 11. The beadwork on the tunics on these
two statuettes appears on Pl. IV to be attached to the girdle all around, but on Pl. IX to
be attached at one side only. In the latter case, I would assume that the bead net was
sewn to the tunic, and perhaps in the first case also. Pl. X pictures a third statuette, with
a blue scroll pattern apparently sewn on the tunic, which is entirely without girdle. I
suppose that this blue scroll pattern was made of masses of blue beads sewn to the cloth,
and that it is some such beaded tunic which is represented at Kerma by the scraps of cloth
sewn with beads. Unfortunately, at Kerma the pattern in which the beads lay could not
be observed, and the beads which were actually seen to be sewn on cloth (Photo. A 2168)1
were all small blue ring-beads. Nevertheless, other kinds of beads were found with cloth in
the region of the legs and may be assumed to have been sewn on cloth in some pattern or
other. For example, the 3800 ± ball-beads of blue-glazed crystal found in K 421 around
and above the empty place of body A with fragments of cloth on which ring-beads were
sewn, can hardly have served any other purpose than that of a bead net over a tunic.
So also the 1078 amulet-beads found in K 453 on the legs of body A, together with 59
cylindrical, 4 barrel, and a very large quantity of ring-beads, must have been sewn in a
pattern on a garment. The cases worthy of note follow:
1. K321:3:
Around waist of body A, at least three rows of blue ring-beads sewn on cloth, from which
depends a fringe of strings, each bearing three long cylindrical beads held at the end
by a small ring-bead (see Girdles, p. 99).
2. K 319:1: K319:x:
Over and under pelvis of body A (see Photo B 2323), strands of blue ring-beads running
diagonally side by side. At one point, 28 strands were counted. These could only
have been held in place by cross threads or by being attached to cloth (leather ?).
They were on organic matter destroyed by white ants.
In the debris, we found a few fragments of cloth on which small blue ring-beads were
sewn, and these may have been connected with the beads on the pelvis (Photo. A 2168,
3/2, Pl. 63, 1, bottom row, second from left).
3. K421:x:
A large lot of small ring-beads (blue), some of them sewn to cloth (Photo. A 2168,
Pl. 63, 1, on right), and mixed with about 3800 ball-beads of blue-glazed crystal, were
found over and about the empty place of body A.
1 Pl. 63, 1.
103
4. K 334: i, ii:
Mixed with fragment of leather skirt thrown to one side.
5. KXB: 140, 141:
With remains of leather garment on body PB.
(e) Beaded cloth tunics:
Abundant evidence was found of beads sewn on cloth. It may be that beaded tunics,
such as those represented in Chassinat and Palanque, Assiout, Pl. IV, IX, andX, are to be
inferred from this evidence. In the Assiout statuettes, the beadwork occurs in two colors,
red and blue, and consists mainly of long cylindrical beads arranged in a lozenge pattern
with blue balls or rings at the intersections. The statuette on Pl. IV has a fringe of red and
of blue cylindrical beads, each held in place by a ring- or ball-bead. This is similar to the
fringe on the girdle mentioned above, p. 100, No. 11. The beadwork on the tunics on these
two statuettes appears on Pl. IV to be attached to the girdle all around, but on Pl. IX to
be attached at one side only. In the latter case, I would assume that the bead net was
sewn to the tunic, and perhaps in the first case also. Pl. X pictures a third statuette, with
a blue scroll pattern apparently sewn on the tunic, which is entirely without girdle. I
suppose that this blue scroll pattern was made of masses of blue beads sewn to the cloth,
and that it is some such beaded tunic which is represented at Kerma by the scraps of cloth
sewn with beads. Unfortunately, at Kerma the pattern in which the beads lay could not
be observed, and the beads which were actually seen to be sewn on cloth (Photo. A 2168)1
were all small blue ring-beads. Nevertheless, other kinds of beads were found with cloth in
the region of the legs and may be assumed to have been sewn on cloth in some pattern or
other. For example, the 3800 ± ball-beads of blue-glazed crystal found in K 421 around
and above the empty place of body A with fragments of cloth on which ring-beads were
sewn, can hardly have served any other purpose than that of a bead net over a tunic.
So also the 1078 amulet-beads found in K 453 on the legs of body A, together with 59
cylindrical, 4 barrel, and a very large quantity of ring-beads, must have been sewn in a
pattern on a garment. The cases worthy of note follow:
1. K321:3:
Around waist of body A, at least three rows of blue ring-beads sewn on cloth, from which
depends a fringe of strings, each bearing three long cylindrical beads held at the end
by a small ring-bead (see Girdles, p. 99).
2. K 319:1: K319:x:
Over and under pelvis of body A (see Photo B 2323), strands of blue ring-beads running
diagonally side by side. At one point, 28 strands were counted. These could only
have been held in place by cross threads or by being attached to cloth (leather ?).
They were on organic matter destroyed by white ants.
In the debris, we found a few fragments of cloth on which small blue ring-beads were
sewn, and these may have been connected with the beads on the pelvis (Photo. A 2168,
3/2, Pl. 63, 1, bottom row, second from left).
3. K421:x:
A large lot of small ring-beads (blue), some of them sewn to cloth (Photo. A 2168,
Pl. 63, 1, on right), and mixed with about 3800 ball-beads of blue-glazed crystal, were
found over and about the empty place of body A.
1 Pl. 63, 1.