Dear Renaid,
This topic has been approached many times here and elsewhere on the Net.
As OFTEN happens with beads, issues of mistaken identity, and mistaken great age are rampant in misrepresentations of these sorts of beads.
Although it is typical for people to think that old or very old beads come from the region where they are found, a great deal of the time they are imported. And ideas that popularly circulate about dating these beads suggest a time of origin that is much earlier than that of their actual manufacture.
In the context of Africa, we have to sort local beads from imported beads. And we have to distinguish between early and late or recent beads. This is demanded because Africa has been a remarkable market for making and buying beads for a very long time.
The beads you ask about are probably recovered from sites in Mali, located near the Niger River, near where there were old occupations (such as Jenne, Goa, and Timbuktu). The beads were made in India, and exported to Africa. They are in the temporal range of being about 1000 years old (+ or -). Ideas that they are "Neolithic" or "Sumerian" or from as early as "Roman" times, are exaggerated.
I hope this helps. If you look to past posts, you may find these issues discussed at some length.
Jamey
Hallo Jamey,
thank you for the information.
sorry, that I bothered with a long before discussed issue. Indeed I searched the engine for stone beads (and with other key words) but did not get some matching issues. (Maybee to short period of days?)
I guess, you must getting tired with discussing always the same issue with new members.
Have a nice time
renaid
Dear Renaid,
Like anyone else, I have days when I am tired, and days when I am energized. My goal in being here is to be helpful. It is also more fun to be challenged in a nice way. I don't mean confronted, but rather asked a new question or a question about something different.
And, yes, it is less than stimulating to answer the same question over and over. However, as I have written many times, any question for which you need an answer is a valid question to ask. But it's equally true that, many times, questions that occur to one may have been asked and answered before—and those dialogues may still be here. I walk a thin line between repeating myself many times cheerfully, and advising self-reliance and at least a token search about topics that may not be exactly unique. It is never my intent to sound cross or impatient—but it has been my experience that any advice to "check the archive" may be taken as a "short" and unhelpful answer. I sometimes fail to be nice even while I am trying to be nice (and helpful).
I hope you will continue to participate, and to get to know us.
Jamey
Dear Jamey,
thank for your message. But I did try to search before and even again after your response - but did not get any helpful hints in the archive. I don't know if it is because I used the wrong key words or a too short period or whatever? For me it is not easy to find exactly what I'm looking for.
I can imagine that it is almost impossible to ask a question that you haven't answered before or show a bead that is new for you. You - and many others in the forum - have such a big experience.
Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it. I'll go on posting questions - even in the risk that they are not new to you or other members.
Until next time. Bye. I enjoy the forum. It is great!
renaid
Dear Jamey,
thank for your message. But I did try to search before and even again after your response - but I did not get any helpful hints in the archive. I don't know if it is because I used the wrong key words or a too short period or whatever? For me it is not easy to find exactly what I'm looking for.
I can imagine that it is almost impossible to ask a question that you haven't answered before or show a bead that is new for you. You - and many others in the forum - have such a big experience.
Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it. I'll go on posting questions - even in the risk that they are not new to you or other members.
Until next time. Bye. I enjoy the forum. It is great!
renaid
Thank you Carl. I hope I can find out a bit more about the round pendants.
