I've never heard of or seen Ancient Persian "altar beads". My questions are: If these beads were, say, offerings, then do they have any wear at the ends of the perforations? Would one expect that there was not a lot of wear overall on this type of bead? And is there any clue to the age from the type of drill used in the perforation process? Thank you.
It's an outstanding bead, with a delicious pattern.