Characterizing European Silica-Based Trade Beads of Heterogenous Composition using Micro-Computed Tomography and Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry

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Abstract
This work employs micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to characterize a sample of sixteenth and seventeenth century silica-based beads of heterogeneous composition recovered in Ontario and Québec, Canada. The interiors of these beads are diverse in structure and composition, and it is likely that different methods and materials were employed to produce them. Compositional analysis suggests that at least some beads were produced in France, which is consistent with earlier archaeometric and historical findings. Based on the diversity in composition and production of the beads, we infer that, unlike drawn beads that were produced on an industrial scale for export, these beads may have been produced by small-scale bead makers. Further, the original purpose of these beads may have been as rosary beads, suggesting a different trajectory for their incorporation into archaeological deposits in North America.