My post was solely to assist in explaining the Period and how it is defined in general terms, I did not mean "You" when I wrote:
"and it might put it into perspective for some of us"
I actually meant "Some of US",...."Me" included.
"I am not in the habit of preaching to the choir" is a quote that fits here.
Also, I do see the difference and when reading the multitude of literature on this subject one can come away more confused than ever.
The latest book I'm reading on related subject matters, "Glass Beads from Anglo-Saxon Graves: A Study on the Provenance and Chronology of Glass Beads from Anglo-Saxon Graves, Based on Visual Examination
by Birte Brugmann", is at times for me a bit tough to swallow, I do not have a problem with the dating (in fact it's one of the better volumes to deal with dating), I am having problems with description used in identifying the bead types. For instance the beads you describe as "Spiral Cable Beads" are described as "Reticella beads"......or another main group of beads are described as "Traffic signal? Traffic light" beads!!!(it is one of these terms, I can't remember which right now).
I know I must be speaking for other collectors as well when I say, "Confusion will reign until something acceptable, by all concerned, is set in stone ie.(the definitive handbook on beads)". Until then we are all left to sift the available information, removing chaff from fact, in the hopes of increasing our awareness of what's accurate. I for one thank you Jamey for making this easier for many of us.
Thomas