#7 For me this is the toughest bead to nail down. I think that the beads you see date as early as the Byzantine era and some as late as the so-called "Dark Ages," so 400AD-800AD, European(?) mostly. Many use motives from the Roman period. I think beads from this poorly documented period, assuming of course that I have any understanding of them at all, are among the most beautiful and mysterious of all beads. They are usually rather small in size, therefore affordable---usually. You also might spot ancient spindles whorls, Sassanian and Pre-Columbian. #8 I made a separate picture of Indonesian beads 'cause I love 'em so much. They are said to date as early as 600AD. sm